CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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Bao's Doll
CCBC Review:
Bao (Taiwanese American) yearns for her own All-American Artist Amanda doll. But “Mama did not hear that.” Mama, who often tells Bao about how little she had as a child in Taiwan, also does not see her daughter’s desire for a close relationship with her. After Bao is caught trying to steal the doll from a store, the gulf between her and her mom seems to grow wider. When she can’t face the silence any longer, Bao apologizes, and Mama tells her a little bit about her own childhood and how much she missed her mother when she “lived in a home with many children.” She brings out an old tin box filled with mementos, and together they use some of them to make a doll that looks just like Bao. Bao and her Little Bao doll share “jokes, snuggles, dreams, and even birthday parties together,” while Bao and her Mama share a deeper understanding of each other. Bao and her Mama’s feelings of isolation are conveyed with dramatically dark backgrounds that later brighten to lighter shades signifying the healing of their relationship. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Bo Lu
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 3-7
Age Range:
Babies/Toddlers (birth – 3)
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Communication
Memory
Mothers
Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans
Diversity subject:
Asian
On CCBC Booklist:
Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin
Publisher:
Abrams
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781419769214
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Lu
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Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.