Geraldine Pu and Her Lunch Box, Too!

Geraldine Pu and Her Lunch Box ,Too! is the first book in the Geraldine series. Geraldine is a charming girl who loves her family, going to school, and her lunchbox that she calls Biandang.

Geraldine's Amah (grandmother) packs her lunch every day and leaves her little notes. The kids in her class think Gerladine's lunches are weird and gross, making her feel ashamed of them. When Geraldine returns home, she stomps up the stairs, slams the door, and throws her lunchbox across the room. This was a realistic response to Geraldine being teased by her classmates, and I liked that the book showed her upset and frustrated. As Geraldine prepares for school the next day, she feels exhausted after being awake all night worrying about bringing stinky tofu. At lunch, another classmate is getting teased about his "weird food". The two of them bond over their interesting foods and show their classmates how fun trying new foods can be.

Geraldine Pu and Her Lunch Box, Too! is the perfect introduction to graphic novels with its engrossing pictures and larger font than typical graphic novels. The first two pages of the book were directions on how to read a graphic novel, and I thought that was so clever and helpful. On the third page of the book, we found a glossary of words that are commonly used in Geraldine's world, such as Amah and Biandang. Being able to read about them before they appeared in the story was very helpful to me. As a result, reading the book flowed smoothly. It was easy to follow the story in this book due to the illustrations. A struggling reader can easily understand what Geraldine is feeling by looking at the pictures of her upset, angry, and tired. This book is perfect for emerging readers who are interested in reading a graphic novel.