From New York Times bestselling Joanna Ho, of Eyes that Kiss in the Corners, and award-winning educator Liz Kleinrock, comes a powerful companion picture book about adoption and family. A young girl who is a transracial adoptee learns to love her Asian eyes and finds familial connection and meaning through them, even though they look different from her parents’.
Her family bond is deep and their connection is filled with love. She wonders about her birth mom, and comes to appreciate both her birth culture and her adopted family's culture, for even though they may seem very different, they are both a part of her, and that is what makes her beautiful. She learns to appreciate the differences in her family and celebrate them.---from the publisher
40 pages 978-0063057777 Ages 4-8
Keywords: adoption, family, transracial, Asian, being different, family, love, acceptance, Asian culture, accepting others, connection, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old
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In the annual family photos where everyone gathers in matching clothes and shoes and laughter, everything is the same for everyone - except for one. Because no one has eyes like hers - eyes that kiss in the corners. But despite their shape, she sees the wonder of the world through her eyes and those around her, But who gave her those eyes? And where ad why and what if and what happened? Questions that every child who is adopted asks eventually, and even though there may be no immediate answers, she understands that sometimes "love must look like letting go".
This is another wonderful story from the author of such masterpieces as Eyes that Kiss in the Corners and Eyes that Speak to the Stars. and once again Joanna Ho has used her gift of language to create something that brings a common situation into the spotlight. This time it is that of the adopted child and co-author Liz Kleinrock focuses on this in a note to the reader at the beginning of the book. Between them, authors and illustrator have created another story of awareness, understanding and acceptance not just by the protagonist but also the reader and I know that whenever I pick up a title with Joanna and Dung Ho's names on the cover I am going to be changed by the reading of it. And this is no exception. It's not the shape of our eyes that matters, it's what they see that counts.
Recommended by: Barbara Braxton, Teacher Librarian, New South Wales AUSTRALIA
See more of her recommendations:
500 Hats http://500hats.edublogs.org/
The Bottom Shelf http://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/
