What's That?

40 Pages • Fiction • 9" x 11" • Ages 3+ • Full Color Illustrations
$19.95
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Jax loves the food his family cooks. But when his grandmother packs his favorite Chinese dishes for his first day of school, Jax discovers his lunch looks very different from what the rest of his classmates are eating. Embarrassed to eat his food, Jax finds himself sitting alone. When Meena sits next to him, the two strike an unexpected friendship over their lunches, sharing a mutual joy of time spent in the kitchen and the delicious meals they eat with their families. What’s That? is a heartwarming story about the foods that make up who we are and how the meals we eat can bring us together.

Hardback ISBN: 9781737240402

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Celebrate new foods and cultures.
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Learn all about the dishes in the book in the back.
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Check out the extras page for a free discussion guide, activity sheet, and coloring sheet
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Encourages kids to be open-minded about food during school lunch.
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What's That?

$19.95
Add to Cart
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FORBES

"This children’s book promotes inclusivity and compassion by celebrating what makes us all unique and embracing family heritage and traditions. It follows the story of Jax, whose lunchbox doesn’t look like the other kids’, but is packed with love."

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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"Ultimately, What's That? demonstrates the vital role food plays in how we connect to our families and our cultures— as well as how we come to know and leave each other and our selves."

Why We Love This Book

What's That? is an uplifting story but is an important tool for teaching kids to celebrate new foods and embrace cultural differences. Jax’s story highlights the importance of being open-minded, showing how food represents who we are. By sharing meals and traditions, children can form deeper connections and appreciate the richness of diversity. This book encourages young readers to be proud of their heritage while being curious and accepting of others.

Meet The Creators

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Karen Chan
Author
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Basia Tran
Illustrator

Karen Chan is a mom, entrepreneur and attorney who lives in Los Angeles. What’s That? is her debut children’s book and she is the founder of Gloo Books. She loves cooking and eating and is always thumbing through a new cookbook or children’s book.

Basia Tran is a Polish-Vietnamese children's book illustrator currently based in Jersey City, where she lives with her husband. She hopes that she can share her love of laughter and learning with the world through her art.

What Readers Are Saying

Incredible

Such a beautiful, heartfelt book! I wish I had this as a child, navigating the school cafeteria. So happy to be able to share this with my family

Bella
My son's favorite book!!

This book is not only beautiful, the message brought me to happy tears! I remember being ashamed of bringing my delicious homemade meals to school, but books like this give me hope that my son will embrace his food and cultures. He loves looking at all the colorful pages, points out his grandma and foods we eat at home.

Jimin Ngo
Buy this book for everyone!

I was immediately taken with the theme of inclusion and diverse cultures. I bought a copy for my daughter, who is finishing her degrees in child development and family studies at CSULB. It made her cry! I got another copy for my 2-year-old granddaughter, thinking she'd have it to enjoy when she was older. My husband took it over to her house for a visit. Elle sat down to listen to him read every single word, then said, "Again!" The book doesn't dumb anything down, and the rhymes are sweet and not tiresome (as they are with many children's books). The illustrations are just gorgeous, and the message is refreshing and necessary as our world learns to include and understand things and people who don't look like they do.

Doreen Philbin
Love it

A gorgeously and thoughtfully illustrated book. The story beautiflly touches on inclusion, acceptance, confidence and bullying. The pictures bring the story into your heart and also make one a bit hungry. Such imaginative and detailed illustrations that enhance a meaningful story.

Janet Ludevig
Amazing Book

LOVE the story itself and my 20 month old is obsessed with the book - she asks for it to be read over and over again and points at the characters and foods. The artwork is beautifully done and so detailed and colorful, and the book itself is very high quality. SO happy with this purchase!

T.Z.
What's That: A One-in-a-Million Find

What's That is on a short list of books that enrich my 4-year-old's life in a way that no other book has. We love the message of kinship, and how beautiful and authentic is this friendship that is formed from the common experienced of "otherhood". I believe every preschooler should read this book; every elementary school teacher should share this story in circle time. Indeed, educators could write a transformative reading or writing unit with this text at the center. I am grateful to Karen Chan for bringing this book into the world. We can't wait for the next one!

Melinda Melgar

Customer Reviews

Based on 34 reviews
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M
Michelle

One of my fear is having my kid becoming too afraid of eating their foods from their heritage. I hope this books helps them feel confident about the things they enjoy eating!

K
Karla

It’s a cute book

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Emily L.
What a gem!

I loved this book and thought the message and illustrations were so spot on. Highly recommend!

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Bella
Incredible

Such a beautiful, heartfelt book! I wish I had this as a child, navigating the school cafeteria.
So happy to be able to share this with my family

J
Jimin Ngo
My son's favorite book!!

This book is not only beautiful, the message brought me to happy tears! I remember being ashamed of bringing my delicious homemade meals to school, but books like this give me hope that my son will embrace his food and cultures. He loves looking at all the colorful pages, points out his grandma and foods we eat at home.