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Eyes that Kiss in the Corners
CCBC Review:
A Chinese girl considers her eyes that “kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea.” They are just like Mama’s eyes, which “crinkle into crescent moons” when she tickles her daughter. Mama’s eyes are just like Amah’s. Amah’s eyes see into the girl’s heart and are filled with stories, like Guanyin and the Monkey King. Amah’s eyes are just like Mei-Mei’s, the narrator’s little sister. Mei-Mei’s eyes “disappear beneath her two-tooth smile” when her older sister returns home from school. And, coming full circle, Mei-Mei’s eyes are just like the narrator’s, in which “stories whirl into their oolong pools, carrying tales of the past and hope for the future.” Her “lashes curve like the swords of warriors” on eyes that “are a revolution. They are Mama and Amah and Mei-Mei. They are me. And they are beautiful.” Themes of affirmation and family celebrate a deep pride in culture and shared appearance. Highly Commended, 2021-2022 Charlotte Zolotow Award ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Dung Ho
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Affirmation
Asian Americans
Chinese and Chinese Americans
Girls and Women
Grandmothers
Identity
Mothers
Sisters
Diversity subject:
Asian
On CCBC Booklists:
Charlotte Zolotow Award (for Outstanding Writing in Picture Books)
Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin
Publishers:
Harper, HarperCollins
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780062915627
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Ho