Celebrate I Read Canadian Day with the charming picture books Ten Little Dumplings and The Aquanaut

Two new picture books from Tundra Books celebrate the power of possibility. 

Ten Little Dumplings is a charming story written by award-winning Toronto-based filmmaker Larissa Fan and illustrated by Taiwan-based artist Cindy Wume. The story is based on Fan’s father’s family of ten sons and one daughter – an aunt she did not know she had for many years. 

Ten Little Dumplings follows a family with ten sons in Taiwan. “In the village of Tengfu,/…there lived a special family”, the story opens with folkloric timelessness that conjures the Chinese legend of the Ten Brothers. Sons are like dumplings because – unlike daughters who are not valued  – sons are “auspicious, / Bringing prosperity and success.” The family is deemed extra special because “they had ten sons. To have one son was considered lucky./ To have ten was great luck indeed”. They are so unique, in fact, that the villagers write songs about them.

Wume’s delightful illustrations add a consequential subtext to the story. At first glance, they depict the brothers as almost identical in size. This creates a fairy-tale quality and makes them seem a formidable unit. On closer examination, however, readers will see that each brother is individualized, but whenever they are portrayed as doing “everything together” and becoming “ten fine men”, the depiction implies a strength-in-numbers, members-only mentality that is exclusionary and hierarchical. 

But this hierarchy is suddenly challenged when, on page 24, the narrative perspective changes, revealing the narrator to be . . . a lone sister! This narrative shift is subtle but climactic. Readers must look closely to find the sister that Wume hides, and they will want to re-read the double-page spreads carefully so they can see that – even when concealed, wearing the orange school-uniform hat – she was there all along. Shifting the narration from “they” to “I”, this sister writes herself into the story, and takes her place within it. “I was there too.… // I listened. // I studied. // I learned,” she asserts.

Ten Little Dumplings is a clever, simple, yet visually-arresting book that invites multiple readings. It offers a provocative message that speaks to the worth and power of females in a culture that values males and gives them privileged access to learning and power. The book will inspire dialogue about social rank and social prejudices. It should also spark a welcome impulse to look for voices and perspectives that might seem absent. Given ongoing efforts to address inequality worldwide, the multi-layered Ten Little Dumplings will give young people (and their grownups) lots to discuss. 

The Aquanaut features a different young girl in a tale that meditates on the infinite potential of dreams and imagination. In spare text, writer Jill Heinreth looks back on her childhood self. She remembers how “the world seemed too dangerous. / everything was too hard. / Places were too far away.” Most of all, she recalls how she felt “too young”. Yet her “big imagination” and curiosity helped her to face her fears and allayed her doubts, so she could achieve extraordinary possibilities as an adult. 

In keeping with the story’s meditative tone, the illustrations by #1 New York Times Bestselling artist Jaime Kim are luminous and ethereal. Little Jill narrates the story using a child’s simple and direct language. Little Jill wants to “help others”, to “know what it’s like to be something else”, to “explore new worlds and meet new friends”. And as it turns out, what little Jill dreamt, the adult Heinreth has lived, albeit in surprising ways, which are depicted pictorially through Kim’s wordless illustrations. For instance, little Jill dreams of becoming an astronaut who can “float through space and see the moon up close.” This dream is juxtaposed with adult aquanaut Heinreth floating among moon jellyfish wearing diving gear that resembles an astronaut’s uniform. According to her author’s note, “more people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the remote places I have discovered right here on our water planet!” Her expertise has led her to create numerous TV series, consult on movies, produce documentaries, and earn awards.

The illustrations are absolutely mesmerizing, carrying the narrative through their visual eloquence. Young readers will revel in the inferential possibilities of Kim’s detailed and sumptuous illustrations. And this is a big part of what ties together the experience of reading The Aquanaut and Ten Little Dumplings. At first glance, it might seem these are “girl power” stories. But a careful reading yields a deeper impression. 

Both books contain rich, empowering messages about the power of possibility, taking one’s place in the world, and achieving a future on one’s own terms. The young narrators of both books suggest that a person can overcome challenges and fears to create a life that is uniquely theirs, has value, and brings fulfilment. These evocative themes should spark rich discussions among readers beyond the primary years – and perhaps inspire them to dream big about how to make their mark on the world.

© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2021