Day’s Lee, illustrated by Josée Bellemare.
The Fragrant Garden
Napoleon Publishing, 2005.

Rating: G*

Nine year old Jade finds everything that happens in the family Chinese restaurant continually fascinating. She dreams of helping her father by manning the cash register, taking telephone orders and even one day cooking wonderful dishes! For now, Jade is told that she is much too young to help. Then one exciting day, Jade saves the day by putting out a pot fire .From then on, everything changes for her.

The details of restaurant life are told in a clear and interesting manner. Jade’s earnest desire to help her father is sensitively portrayed in a way that children will empathize with. A pleasant portrayal of the workplace in a family business. The illustrations reflect the story perfectly and enhance the text with atmospheric details.

Thematic Links: Chinese Restaurants; Family Workplace; Fire Safety

Isobel Lang
Vol. 11, number 5
June 2006

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.