The Ugly Dumpling

K-Gr 2—A unique take on the classic tale "The Ugly Duckling," this is a humorous story of friendship and self-acceptance, set in a dim sum restaurant. It follows a dumpling who doesn't look at all like the other dumplings in the restaurant. This dumpling (in actuality a steamed bun) is therefore "in a lonely only category. Of one. Uneaten and ignored." The dumpling meets a cockroach who looks past the dumpling's unusual appearance. They go on adventures throughout the restaurant, and the dumpling begins to feel accepted as it notices the beauty around it for the first time. The tables are turned when the diners spot the cockroach and the ugly dumpling comes to its friend's rescue. The minimal text meshes well with the illustrations and at times becomes a part of the action. For example, in a busy kitchen scene, the letters in "hiss" curl like steam from a wok and the letters in "thwak" seem to jump from the cleaver. This narrative moves quickly, and the cheerful visuals do as much to tell the story as the text does.