REN'S PENCIL

Jarred by her recent emigration, a young girl recalls her grandmother’s magical stories as she makes soothing connections.

When her parents announce they “are moving to the West,” Ren’s impending separation from her beloved storyteller grandmother leaves her trembling. But Popo gives her a special pencil and tells her, “You will make your own magic there.” Still, whirling words and unusual colors underscore the realization that she’s “far from home.” Suddenly, she’s called Lauren. Cutting her long hair means that “even the face in the mirror look[s] unfamiliar.” Worst of all, Ren can’t see herself in the stories contained in her new books. But Popo’s magic emanates from Ren’s pencil, and though she may not always find the right words, she can use it to make her own stories come alive: Sharing new experiences with new friends lets her imagine stories where she truly belongs. Taiwanese American author/illustrator Lu’s softly whimsical pencil and watercolor illustrations get “a little help from Nora Ren Toft,” Lu’s real-life daughter, who provides the drawings that young Ren creates. Lu empathically mirrors Ren’s linguistic disconnect by not translating details of her phone call with Popo, conducted in Chinese, about missing each other, dumplings, and Ren’s new friend.

A deft combination of the quotidian and fantastical transforms immigration challenges into a healing creative journey.