A Banquet for Cecilia: How Cecilia Chiang Revolutionized Chinese Food in America

Relish in the savory, tangy, and sometimes spicy dishes of Cecilia Chiang, a revolutionary who changed the way Americans viewed Chinese food.

From an early age, Cecilia Chiang could be found delighting in the sounds and smells from her favorite room in her home--the kitchen. Little did Cecilia know that she would one day have to escape war and travel to a faraway country, destined to change Chinese cuisine in the United States forever.

Experience the dishes Cecilia Chiang enjoyed throughout her life as the seventh daughter in a large family to the owner of the famous Mandarin restaurant in San Francisco.

Author: Julie Leung
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 04/29/2025
Pages: 40
Weight: 0.9lbs
Size: 11.20h x 8.70w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780759557413


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 09/01/2024 pg. 120
Publishers Weekly 01/27/2025
Booklist 02/01/2025 pg. 70
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2025 pg. 97
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2025
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2025 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Julie Leung is the author of numerous books for children including the Caldecott honoreeThe Truth About Dragons; APALA award-winning Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist, illustrated by Chris Sasaki; and The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee. She invites you to visit her online at jleungbooks.com.

Melissa Iwai is an author/illustrator of over thirty picture books, including Let's Party!: A DIY Illustrated Guide to 10 Fantastic Birthday Parties, Soup Day, Pizza Day, Dumplings for Lili, and Gigi and Ojiji, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor-winning series. When she is not creating, she can be found cooking and doing crossword puzzles with her husband, author Denis Markell, in Brooklyn. She invites to you visit her online at melissaiwai.com, on Instagram @melissaiwai1, and on X @meliwai