The publisher’s description of Rainbow Shopping by Qing Zhuang says “Shopping for and preparing a delicious meal helps a young Chinese American girl feel connected to her family.” But it is more than that. It is a way of her having a connection with her past and the present. And it shows a piece of her old home and her new home. We are able to see that while she cannot find everything she and her mother wanted for their special dinners (the whole family will be together), they can still be together and connect.
The illustrations are what really makes this book fresh, new and alive. They are the rainbow of colors mentioned in the title. But the rainbow shopping is the red persimmons and the green bamboo. However, it never really “messes.” The details are interesting as things are both busy and quiet. They represent moods and the places.
The colors (and foods) are also representations of the emotions that are happening in places. The girl says her mother must have eaten too many bitter melons when she is told no to ALL the candy she wants. And her mother asks her to be her “little bamboo” and to be able to bend, not break, and weather the storm (the fact this newly immigrant family is always working and not always able to get the food they want).
Overall, this is a fun book that shows culture, family and how they can be both different and similar to others. Rainbow Shopping is available in both hardcover and paper editions, but I read via an online reader’s copy.