Product Description
In this heartwarming picture book, an Asian American girl shares how her family expresses their love for one another through actions rather than words.
How do you tell your family that you love them? For Hana, love is all around her: Mom stirs love into a steaming pot of xifan. Dad cheers with love at her soccer game. Hana says good night with love by rubbing her grandma's feet and pouring her grandpa his sleepy tea. And as the light fades, Hana's parents tuck her into bed and give her a good night kiss.
So many families express their love in all they do for one another, every day. Here is a book that wraps you in a hug and invites your family to share their own special ways of showing love.
From School Library Journal
Gr 1-3-Hana's Asian American family shows its love for one another in actions instead of using a well-known three-word phrase. Hana feels her family's love every day in the delicious breakfast her mother makes to start the day off right; her grandfather walking her to school every day; her grandmother's delicious lunches; her father's encouraging words as she plays soccer and the way he reads to her at night. She shows them her love by trying her best in all things, pouring her grandfather's nightly tea, rubbing her grandmother's feet, and enjoying the sweetness of family time together. It's a love that Hana cannot wait to share with her unborn sibling to whom she whispers all the joys that await them. Chen's text has several Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese words that work well in context. In addition, there is a helpful glossary at the book's end, though without a pronunciation guide. Using the style that has served her well in previous picture books, Wen's warm and cozy illustrations depict a multigenerational family that presents a vision of a happy home. The spreads are broken up with the effective use of occasional borders. Hana's classmates have various skin tones. VERDICT This is a successful story that shows not only the myriad ways families indicate love but also an extended family as well. A good general purchase.-Catherine Callegariα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
About the Author
Nicole Chen’s experience growing up Taiwanese American, and the blend of Catalan, Spanish, Taiwanese and American influences in her present home, fuels her desire to write and tell stories that reflect a diverse and multicultural American identity. Nicole lives in sunny California with her Andorran husband and young daughter. This is her debut book. To learn more about Nicole, visit storiesbynicolechen.com.
Lenny Wen is an author-illustrator who was born in Indonesia. She loves to draw whimsical, spooky, and nostalgic childhood illustrations with a mixture of storytelling, imagination, and emotion. She was an SCBWI Portfolio honoree and has numerous upcoming books, including Halloween Is Coming and Better Together. She lives in Austria. To learn more about Lenny, please visit lennywen.com.
