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AMAH FARAWAY

Name: AMAH FARAWAY
Author: Margaret Chiu Greanias
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0721-1

by Margaret Chiu Greanias ; illustrated by Tracy Subisak ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 25, 2022

An au courant portrayal of a transnational childhood.

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A child and her grandmother connect across the miles through food and fellowship.

Kylie is anxious as she departs San Francisco for Taipei to visit Amah, whom she doesn’t often visit. In Taipei, Kylie negotiates unfamiliar situations, including a banquet replete with “steaming food” and many aunts, uncles, and cousins (“actual…or not?”). Kylie remains hesitant and keeps her physical and emotional distance while her mother and Amah play in the park and drag her through a night market. Kylie’s attitude shifts midway through the story when she decides to give the hot springs a try and discovers she loves them. As a result, Kylie enthusiastically explores her environment, transforming into the leader of their expeditions. The verbal and visual narratives here mirror the first half of the story with changes in context: Kylie now embraces, for instance, the "Chinese donuts,” which resemble savory churros. The backmatter contains biographical anecdotes from the author and the illustrator, information about some of Taipei’s tourist attractions, and a note about popular foods in Taiwan and their symbolism in Chinese traditional culture. These descriptions, both from women with Taiwanese grandmothers, reflect the diverse cultural makeup of Taiwan’s population as it has shifted during the last two centuries. The Chinese-language phrases—shown in traditional characters as if composed by a child’s hand, minor errors and all—comprise another distinguishing feature in centering the experiences of the diaspora.

An au courant portrayal of a transnational childhood. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 25, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-5476-0721-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW THIS BOOK GOT RED
by Margaret Chiu Greanias ; illustrated by Melissa Iwai

- BOOK REVIEW
HOOKED ON BOOKS
by Margaret Chiu Greanias ; illustrated by Kristyna Litten

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LONELY BIRD'S DREAM

From the Lonely Bird series

by Ruth Whiting ; illustrated by Ruth Whiting ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2024

This distinctly gentle, earnest protagonist’s quiet triumphs still resonate.

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A little bird yearns for more.

Last seen in Lonely Bird (2023), the titular character—an avian equivalent of a stick figure—resembles nothing so much as a cut-paper drawing living in a world of thick, realistic oil paints. Little wonder that she can’t figure out where she fits in. Perhaps the sky? But the real birds that can fly have wings that seem entirely different from her own. With pencil-sketched dreams of flight dancing in her head, she sets off to research the many ways of taking to the skies. Drawings and experiments lead to a series of tests. Lonely Bird builds a glider, tweaking her designs after a precipitous crash before finally attaining a bit of success. Alas, a downdraft causes her to crash in a spiderweb in a tree, her home below appearing comparatively distant. With her plane now crushed, how will she return? This book contains the very rare instance of a realistic-looking spider proving to be a capable friend and ally at a time of need. Lonely Bird’s final conclusion that “I know exactly where I belong” is heartening, though by no means clear. Her declaration may lead to some thoughtful discussions with young readers about why she feels the way she does. The children who reside in her home present white.

This distinctly gentle, earnest protagonist’s quiet triumphs still resonate. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024

ISBN: 9781536226195

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
LONELY BIRD
by Ruth Whiting ; illustrated by Ruth Whiting

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A SWEET NEW YEAR FOR REN

by Michelle Sterling ; illustrated by Dung Ho ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 15, 2022

A celebration teeming with family, love, and, of course, food.

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A young Chinese American girl enjoys the bustle of new year preparations.

Excited that Lunar New Year is nearly here, Ren wakes up to a window of blooming cherry blossoms. She rushes to the kitchen to ask her parents if she can finally help make the pineapple cakes for the celebration. Her mother, however, insists that she is “still too little” even though Ren points out that she has grown two whole inches since last year. Undeterred, Ren persists with her requests while her family hangs lanterns and visits the local market to buy ingredients for the upcoming feast. Ren asks various extended family members if she can help, but her pleas go rebuffed. It is only when her older brother Charlie arrives that Ren finally has the opportunity to participate. The descriptive narrative is surprisingly subdued at the moment when Ren finally gets her hands on some dough. Still, the gentle pace brings an overall charm to the family get-together. Ho captures the messy coziness of families wrapping and steaming dumplings. Layers of textures and splatters of colors bring depth and movement to each scene, especially when the hand-tossed noodles are prepared and then added to a pot of boiling water. A recipe for the cherished pineapple cakes follows. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A celebration teeming with family, love, and, of course, food. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-8)