Joyful and celebratory seem like odd descriptors for a book about racism, but author Phuong Truong and artist Christine Wei manage this delicate balance rather deftly in Every Little Bit Olive Tran. The story centres around the eponymous heroine’s 10th birthday. Olive’s eagerness for her newfound freedom – she’ll finally be old enough to walk to school by herself and go to Kandy Korner whenever she wants! – is marred by the rise of anti-Asian hate in her neighbourhood.

First, an older-adult neighbour, Mrs. Ly, is pushed while walking around Chinatown. Then, her older brother Ben and some of his Asian classmates set up a safe walk program because some kids no longer feel safe walking to school on their own. Worst of all, her friend Josh, who is white, says he can’t go to her birthday party anymore. His reasons? His grandmother got really sick during the pandemic, and his father may lose his job because his company lost a big contract to a Japanese firm.

Olive rightly calls Josh out for being both disappointing and stupid, but unfortunately, his decision stems from something far too complicated to be fixed by simply pointing out its irrationality. Though Olive has always felt safe in her neighbourhood, she now finds herself hyper-aware of a stranger along her route to school, and suddenly afraid there may be more dangers around her than she realizes. Young readers may find much to reflect on, depending on whether they relate most to Olive’s confusion, Ben’s frustration, or possibly even Josh’s discomfort.

Underneath all this is a defiant thread of Asian joy. As Olive and her grandmother make spring rolls for the party, Olive learns why Bà Nội isn’t afraid: she’s survived so much on her journey to North America that “one bad man,” especially one who pushes an old lady, is nothing to fear. Bà Nội’s spring rolls are thus a powerful metaphor for generational resilience; with everything Asian elders and ancestors have survived, racist bullying seems petty and weak in comparison.

Ultimately, Olive’s story is one of community, courage, and celebration. Despite Josh’s behaviour, Olive knows that she and her friends will still have a great time at her party. And her party menu, combining East Asian dishes with North American pizza, is a vivid reminder of why celebrating differences can be so much more fun than intolerance and hate.