Based on the picture book written by Kat Zhang, illustrated by Charlene Chua, and narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao is a delightful domestic story about a young girl learning how to make steamed buns just like her mother, father, and grandmother. Accompanied by her cat, Amy watches all her family members make bao so perfectly. Invited to help, she punches the dough with her father and adjusts the filling’s seasoning with her mother. Preparation done, the family begins to make the bao.
Amy watches perfect bao after perfect bao goes into the steamer basket. When she tries, however, she just can’t seem to get it right: her bao are too full or not full enough, they sag and droop and rip. Each of her family members tries to teach her with helpful phrases or visual aids, but still, she struggles. Then Amy has an epiphany: her hands are too small to work with the adult-sized dough pieces! With the help of her grandmother, Amy soon has child-sized materials to work with and is making Bao like a professional.
Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao is a sweet little story about family, food, and culture. The unique artistic stylings and simple animation make for cute and domestic video parents and caretakers will love as much as their kids. The sound design is subtle and delightful. Children interested in food and cooking will especially love Amy Wu, as there is an included recipe at the end of the video. This would be an excellent addition to any storytime collection: at home, at school, or at the library. Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao would be an outstanding purchase for your children's film collection.