“To have one son was considered lucky, / To have ten was great luck indeed!” This nod to the Chinese tale about ten brothers describes a lively, loving Chinese family of boys. Their parents call their sons their ten little dumplings because they were round as babies and because, “like sons, dumplings are auspicious, / Bringing prosperity and success.” The ten brothers do everything together: dressing, playing, eating, sleeping. And indeed, they seem graced by good fortune as they grow “into ten fine men.” But who is telling this story? In a marvelous twist half way through, the narrator reveals herself: “Those dumplings were my brothers. You may not have seen me, but I was there too. You just need to look more closely.” While her brothers were growing up, she was, too—listening, studying, learning, and finding her own talent as an artist. And now she has a child of her own. “My own wonderful girl. My little dumpling. How lucky I am!” The buoyant ink, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations on matte pages are part of the fun, and finding the young narrator, who indeed appears in every early scene, is one of many delights of a fresh, inspired story. (Ages 4-7)

If one son is lucky, then ten must be great luck indeed! But where does that leave an only daughter? Based on a true family story, this inspiring picture book about a different perspective tells the tale of a girl determined to be seen, who finds her own voice and makes her own luck.

In the city of Fengfu, there lives a very special family -- special because they have ten sons who do everything together. Their parents call them their ten little dumplings, as both sons and dumplings are auspicious. But if you look closely, you'll see that someone else is there, listening, studying, learning and discovering her own talent -- a sister. As this little girl grows up in the shadow of her brothers, her determination and persistence help her to create her own path in the world . . . and becomes the wisdom she passes on to her own daughter, her own little dumpling.

Based on a short film made by the author, inspired by her father's family in Taiwan, Ten Little Dumplings looks at some unhappy truths about the place of girls in our world in an accessible, inspiring and hopeful way.