In the Batter and Out

Dim Sum Palace – written and illustrated by X. Fang
Tundra Books, 2023

There is a difference between an homage and an imitation. Even a book that celebrates a great author and artist, there may be an almost infinite number of ways to reinterpret the work of an icon.  In X. Fang’s Dim Sum Palace, a little girl looks forward to a meal at the eponymous restaurant, and can hardly fall asleep.  When her mother wishes goodnight to her “little dumpling,” readers are warned; we are in the territory of wishes and dreams, fears and delight. Liddy has one foot in a batter of Chinese dumplings, and the other (figuratively speaking), in the cake whipped up by bakers in Maurice Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen.

Fang was this year’s Dilys Edwards Founder’s Award winner at the Society of Illustrators’ Original Art Exhibition.  The award honors “the most promising new talent” in the field of children’s book illustration.  There are several qualities that must have drawn the jury’s attention to Fang’s work.  Her mix of ingredients from traditional Chinese techniques to Sendak’s edgy humor, give the book a distinctive appeal.  Sendak refused to romanticize the terrors of childhood; Fang also captures a child’s apprehensions, but adds some tenderness to the mix. 

Before entering Liddy’s world, don‘t forget to lift the dust jacket for a step aside into the more grounded world of restaurants and their inviting menus, complete with bilingual lettering and a pretend phone number.  The endpapers are a delicately composed assembly of many different dishes. The world of dream imagery begins in specific daily experience, such as pan-fried bun, sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, and radish cake. 

Liddy’s dream leads her to the night kitchen, where a male and female chef, in contrast to Sendak’s Three Stooges culinary artists, are making dim sum and an array of other sweets. While Sendak’s bakers seem frenetic in their preparation of a “Mickey-cake,” Fang’s counterparts are calm and focused, carefully folding dough with a sense of pride.  In Sendak’s book, the process of baking becomes an act of aggression. Fang’s chefs are completely unaware that Liddy, in her eagerness to taste the dumplings, has fallen into a bowl. Nevertheless, Liddy also becomes potentially edible.

When a maternal empress is served a dumpling stuffed with Liddy, the regal figure may be hungry, but she is obviously concerned with the little girl who has ended up on her plate.  Cradling Liddy in her palm like a tiny doll, she replaces the girl in her bed. The story begins with one mother expressing love for her child, and approaches its conclusion with another one also caring for a curious and impatient little girl who can’t wait for dim sum.  Liddy’s eventual feast in a busy and diverse family restaurant is worth the wait, for her and for the reader.