MAHJONG ALL DAY LONG

Using the unusual illustration technique of painted ceramic plates, Beth Lo provides a visual subtext to accompany her sister’s story of a Chinese-American family and their addiction to the game of mahjong. JieJie and DiDi, big sister and little brother, stay close to the action when their parents and their aunt and uncle spend their days playing the game with the intricately designed tiles, now enjoying a small renaissance. The kids help by serving the watermelon seeds that Auntie loves to crunch, rolling dice and putting the tiles away. When they grow up, they teach their own bicultural children the game. Some Chinese words and English meanings are part of the package, but unfortunately, most are presented without transliterations. A background note about the game is included. Not much of a plot here and mahjong is not really a young children’s game, but the alternating red and black pages are visually arresting and the naïve paintings on the plates have plenty of action for kids to pore over. (author’s note, bibliography) (Picture book. 5-8)