Popo & Meimei Can Help

by Cathy Wu

Overview

A heartwarming grandmother-granddaughter story about language, love, and the immigrant experience.

Popo—who doesn’t speak any English—is always there for Meimei whenever she needs an extra hand. They speak Mandarin Chinese at home, and Meimei picks up new words every day.

Today, Meimei feels like she can’t do anything without Popo. But, in the face of a language barrier, maybe there’s a way Meimei can help Popo, too. Here is a heartwarming and poignant intergenerational story touching on themes of dependence and independence that is about language, love, and the fact that actions ultimately speak loudest of all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316500708
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/23/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,111,225
Product dimensions:	9.35(w) x 9.35(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Cathy Wu is the winner of the Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award for her submission of Popo & Meimei Can Help, her debut picture book. She is a freelance designer and illustrator who runs a small paper goods business and teaches doodling skills and creativity practice on Skillshare. Cathy lives in Seattle and invites you to visit her at itscathywu.com.

Editorial Reviews

"This sweet story offers an introduction to the immigrant experience while celebrating the love between a grandparent and a grandchild.... A moving tribute to the tender moments found in a bilingual, multigenerational household."
 —Kirkus Reviews

"Simple, cartoon illustrations complement the spare text, effectively communicating the message of love and intergenerational solidarity between Meimei and Popo."—Booklist

"This heartwarming depiction of an English-speaking child and her Mandarin-speaking elders helping one another across a language barrier will appeal to all children familiar with relatives who speak a different language. Highly recommended for all collections."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

05/31/2024

PreS-Gr 2—Young Meimei lives with her grandmother in a simple, spartan house with a backyard and a vegetable garden. At first, Popo helps Meimei with morning tasks: pouring the milk, doing her hair, putting on her jacket, and harvesting the vegetables. Along the way, in speech bubbles, Meimei communicates in English and Popo communicates in Mandarin. A transliteration of each hanzi is written above it in a smaller font, and then marked by an asterisk which corresponds to an English translation at the bottom of the page. As the day unfolds, Meimei has a chance to help Popo when a telephone call in English requires the child to take the call. Here the full-bleed spread uses a simple array of letters and the characters' expressions to convey the universal confusion of listening to speech in a language one cannot yet understand. Wu's pleasingly simple character illustrations recall the style of Bruna's Miffy, and the sherbet-hued landscapes, when they appear, add warmth and depth to the setting. VERDICT This heartwarming depiction of an English-speaking child and her Mandarin-speaking elders helping one another across a language barrier will appeal to all children familiar with relatives who speak a different language. Highly recommended for all collections.—Jessica Fenster-Sparber

School Library Journal

2024-01-20
A young girl and her grandmother help each other conquer the trials of their shared day.

Meimei (Mandarin for little sister) is working to be independent, but she needs help pouring milk, putting on her jacket, and harvesting green onions. At every turn, her Popo (grandmother) is there to wipe up messes, offer a helping hand, and teach Meimei how to garden. Capable, kind Popo is always ready to offer encouragement and a new activity. “Cheer up!” she tells Meimei after a wheelbarrow spill. “Let’s make dumpling soup.” Though Meimei speaks in English and Popo in Mandarin, the two clearly understand each other. Later, the phone rings. When Popo answers, the English words pouring out of the receiver are illustrated as a scrambled, garbled mess. Seeing Popo’s distress, Meimei realizes that it’s her turn to be the helper. Bright cartoon illustrations and spare text effectively convey the affection and respect that these two have for each other, despite their language barrier. This sweet story offers an introduction to the immigrant experience while celebrating the love between a grandparent and a grandchild. Meimei and Popo’s conversations appear as speech bubbles, with words in simplified Chinese characters, pinyin transliteration, and English.

A moving tribute to the tender moments found in a bilingual, multigenerational household. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews