A heartwarming bilingual Vietnamese–English picture book about culture, family traditions, and the love passed down through generations.
Written by Kimly Hoang-Nakata, M.Ed. · Illustrated by HaMeo Pham
Hardcover · Paperback · Kindle — price shown at Amazon checkout.
Câu chuyện gói bằng yêu thương
Guided by Bà Ngoại — Grandma — young readers discover the meaning behind bánh: traditional rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves that symbolize family, connection, and care.
With playful storytelling and rich cultural details, this beautifully illustrated book is more than a children's story — it's a keepsake of heritage, love, and tradition, and a gentle reminder of the importance of preserving family stories and cultural values.
A story of heritage, love, and togetherness — made to be shared.
Straight from the cover — one patient grandmother, three curious grandkids, and a garden full of banana leaves.
With patient hands and a warm smile, she shows how every fold of the leaf carries a little love.
Right at Bà's shoulder, watching every single fold — just like on the cover.
Wide-eyed on the woven mat as rice and banana leaves become something wonderful.
Leaning in as close as he can get to the woven tray of finished bánh.
Just like in the book's garden: lay the leaf, add the rice, fold it square, tie it tight — and find the love inside.
First: the lá chuối — drag the banana leaf onto the mat, or just tap it.
bánh — wrapped with love · gói bằng yêu thương 💚
Connections to the old stories behind every square bánh.
Family, connection, and care across generations.
Real Vietnamese words woven into the story.
For every reader — whether it's bedtime or circle time.
Flip a card to taste a little Vietnamese from the story.
In Vietnamese tradition, bánh chưng is a square cake of sticky rice, wrapped flat in green banana leaves and tied with string. In the old legend, its square shape honors the earth itself — a gift of gratitude, made by hand.
Inside the book, Bà Ngoại guides young readers to the legends and traditions behind every fold — and to what the wrapping really holds: family, connection, and care. Every fold holds a little love.
What makes this book truly special is its ability to connect generations.
An invitation to slow down, gather together, and share a story that truly comes from the heart.
Children learn about their roots, while parents are reminded of their own family traditions.
A meaningful way for teachers to introduce Vietnamese culture in diverse classrooms.
A keepsake of heritage, love, and tradition — made to be shared and treasured.
IIBA 2024 Winner
BookFest 2024 · 1st Place
Featured on SBTN
IIBA 2025 Author of the YearAll honors shown were earned by author Kimly Hoang-Nakata for her earlier books and appearances — Grandma's Bánh of Love is her newest story.
Choose your format — every copy is wrapped with the same love.
Price shown at Amazon checkout. Links open in a new tab.
It's a 36-page picture book written for children ages 3–8 — and made to be read aloud together, so grown-ups are very much included.
Yes — the story is told in both Vietnamese and English, with vocabulary and cultural context woven in for readers of both languages.
Bánh here means traditional Vietnamese rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves — like the square bánh chưng — which symbolize family, connection, and care.
Not at all. The story reads beautifully in English, and the Vietnamese text and vocabulary are a joyful way to meet the language for the first time.
Yes — it gives teachers a meaningful way to introduce Vietnamese culture in diverse classrooms, with legends, traditions, and vocabulary built right in.
Hardcover (the keepsake edition), paperback, and Kindle — all on Amazon. Prices are shown at Amazon checkout.
