Mama's Love Language: Book Giveaway
ABOUT THE BOOK
Mama’s Love Language: Sometimes Love Tastes Like Hainan Chicken Rice
Written by Elisa Stad
Illustrated by Ry Menson
Ages 5-10 | 31 Pages
Publisher: Ginger Lotus Press | ISBN-13: 9798988378518
Publisher’s Book Summary: Jade is a girl who lives in two worlds and, coming from a multicultural family, she’s on a quest to understand her identity and where she truly belongs.
She is trying to find her place in the world but feels different from the other kids at school. Back home, Jade’s parents have their unique approach to love and care. Sometimes Jade is embarrassed by Mama’s accent and she can’t understand why she is not just like any other mother she knows.
The real adventure unfolds when Jade starts rebelling against her mother’s traditional ways of showing love, especially through food. It’s a struggle that takes her on a path of discovery, as she learns about her family’s rich heritage and her mother’s challenging past in Vietnam and as an immigrant.
Jade then discovers that even though Mama doesn’t hug or say I love you, the healing aroma of ginger, green onions, and chicken broth does.
“Mama’s Love Language” is a heartwarming children’s book that addresses the universal theme of belonging and the beauty of cultural diversity. Through Jade’s story, children will learn that being different is not only okay but something to be celebrated, and that love can come in many shapes and forms.
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MY REVIEW
Jade is aware that her parents come from different backgrounds. Her father is American and her mother is Chinese. She notices that they interact with her in their own ways. While other parents hug their children when they drop them off or pick them up from school, her mother does not. Instead, she quizzes Jade on whether she ate all of her lunch or completed her homework. Her dad makes sure to tuck her in, even though he gets home from work late. When her class is assigned a self-portrait in art class, Jade chooses to ignore her actual appearance and shows herself with “blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin” like her father. The struggle to accept the heritage from both sides of her family causes Jade to lash out at her mother and refuse to eat the meal of Chinese food she has prepared. Her mother finally explains that her own family had to flee China and live in Vietnam when she was a girl. Because she had to help raise her siblings, she did not get to attend school herself. Her family was often hungry while she was growing up. Jade comes to realize that her mother focuses on school and food because she wants Jade’s life to be better than her own younger years. Her way of showing love is by making sure Jade has the opportunities that she missed. The illustrations throughout the story show how her parents interact with her, how different her mother seems from those of classmates, and how much Jade looks like her mother. We watch her struggle to understand her mother and accept that part of her heritage. Then we give a sigh of relief when she corrects her self-portrait and embraces her whole self. She says, “I realize my family is strong and different, and that’s special.” Many people struggle with how family members show love. It can be very difficult when they speak a different “love language.” Some people don’t say the words, but rely on actions. And sometimes the actions are not hugs and kisses, but providing education, food, or health care - things that keep a loved one safe and help them thrive. It can also be hard when a family has more than one cultural background and must find a way to combine them. Talking it over is always a great start, as Jade finds out.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elisa grew up in a mixed-race household, as a daughter of a Vietnamese refugee mother and American father. She grew up in a multicultural home, searching for identity. She also moved homes often in her childhood including to Asia and within the US to Idaho and California.
She always wanted to share with other young children the beauty of humanity and how we can celebrate our unique gifts. You can find her enjoying ballet, visiting local Asian street markets, practicing yoga, and focusing on her spiritual practice. Elisa lives in Southern California with her husband, 3 children and a bernedoodle.
For more information, visit https://www.elisastad.com/.
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