Tweet We read so many picture books at our home so when one is really good, my son and I really take notice. While our tastes may differ, books with heart seem to capture us both. Since my 8-year-old is quickly aging out of picture books, I really savor these moments. Why does the universe make us fall in love with our children only to wrench them from us so fast? But back to really good picture books. Our Kailua librarian is a genius at plucking unique picture books from piles and featuring them on the bookshelf. I’m not sure…
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Tweet Kao Kalia Yang’s The Most Beautiful Thing illustrated by Khoa Le and published by Carolrhoda Books, is the most beautiful book. The illustrations are art worthy. The story like a beautifully stitched quilt layered with meaning and yet, so fitting for a children’s book. What makes this one special is how specific and detailed the story is. The way the author writes about the grandmother makes you feel like you know her, as if she is a real person. Listen to the first sentence: “My grandmother is so old, no one knows how old she is.” Isn’t that a perfect line?…
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Tweet Questions like these are stereotypical because it often plays into the idea that one person can speak for an entire community of people. Also that the experience of being a minority makes things like writing completely different when all writers suffer and struggle to throw words onto a blank page. There are a few things, however, that I can speak to. And if you are Asian American and write, could possible relate. If you wonder: if your work isn’t connecting and you’re receiving rejections because it doesn’t resonate with the majority culture. if your work is chosen preciously because…