Thanhhà Lai’s “Hundred Years of Happiness” Reviewed in Booklist

Advanced Review – Uncorrected Proof
Issue: April 1, 2022
Hundred Years of Happiness.
By Thanhhà Lai. Illus. by Nguyen Quang and Kim Lien
Apr. 2022. 32p. Harper, $17.99 (9780063026926). PreS–Gr. 2

In this story of an intergenerational Vietnamese family, An and her grandfather go through the laborious process of cultivating fruit to try and revive her grandmother's memories, which are fading due to dementia. They plant the seeds of orange-red melons called gấc fruits with the goal of making grandmother's favorite dish from her wedding, gấc sticky rice. There's a chance that eating it will help her remember her wedding wish for 100 years of happiness. They soak seeds, grow the vines, and wait months for fruit to ripen. Cooking isn't easy, either. But when it's ready, a bite brings grandmother a flood of memories—that soon fade. An and her grandfather start the process anew. The vivid and emotional illustrations bring to life the tender relationship between An and her grandparents. This tale of hard work to achieve a brief moment of hope, woven in with the story of the life cycle of gấc vines, will be a special one for young readers, inviting them to meditate on the arc of the life—and the deliciousness of sticky rice. — Lydia Mulvany