DeVera Miller Maxwell

Lakeland Elementary/Middle School

Baltimore, Maryland

Love As Strong As Ginger

By Lenore Look

Selection Vocabulary dialect di a lect dumpling dump ling mallet mal let singsong sing song ginger gin ger

dialect “Chiubungbung” she replied, meaning

stinky-stinky in Taishanese, our Chinese dialect.

Her Southern dialect was evident when she said “y’all.”

Definition – a form of language that is spoken in a particular area or by a particular group of people (p. 229)

dumpling She taught me how to make doong, sticky rice

dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, and I taught her how to dress a fashion doll.

My favorite food is fried dumplings. The dough covering gets crunchy when they are cooked that way. Definition – a small pocket of dough filled with

meat or vegetable mixture and cooked by steaming or boiling it (p. 230)

mallet “How do you crack a crab?”

“With a mallet.” She made a pounding fist.

The railroad worker drove in the last spoke with his mallet.

Definition – a type of hammer with a head made of wood or other hard material (p. 230)

singsong When the bus arrived, it was crowded with

ladies clucking their tongues in singsong languages.

The singsong voice of the train put me to sleep.

Definition – having a repetitive, musical sound (p. 232)

ginger “You were right, Katie,” she said, chowing

scallions, ginger, and black-bean paste with the crab.

My mom cooks ginger chicken a lot; I love the strong taste of the spice.

Definition – a strong-tasting spice made from ground ginger root (p. 242)

Vocabulary Quiz dialect dumpling mallet singsong ginger

A type of hammer with a head made of wood or other hard material.

A form of language that is spoken in a particular area or by a particular group of people.

A strong-tasting spice made from ground ginger root

A small pocket of dough filled with a meat or vegetable mixture and cooked by steaming or boiling it

Having a repetitive, musical sound