Nan Ma
Delightful and delectable children’s book recommendations for children four years old and up
Eyes that Kiss in the Corners: Written by Joanna Ho and illustrated by Dung Ho
Eyes that Kiss in the Corners is the book that I needed this year. During a time when Asian bodies...
SAAFF review: “Beloved”: An opaque and contemplative portrait of a marriage
In her essay “The Problem of Marital Loneliness,” one of the most read New Yorker stories of 2021, Agnes Callard observes, “Marriage is hard, even when no crises loom, and even when things basically...
SAAFF film review: Magic, storytelling, and the magic of storytelling: “Marvelous and the Black...
“Magic is about making an audience feel something,” imparts the eccentric magician Margot (Rhea Perlman) in Kate Tsang’s film Marvelous and the Black Hole to Sammy (Miya Cech), Margot’s accidental apprentice. The success of...
“Flying Paintings” soars in telling the story of two brothers who persevere as artists...
“The World is a beautiful and terrible place,” remarks Shaoli, one of the protagonists in Amy Alznauer’s picture book, Flying Paintings, upon hearing stories of the cycles of destruction and restoration of his family’s...
Kelly Yang’s novel provides a much needed voice to “parachutes” who otherwise have been...
Kelly Yang’s debut young adult novel Parachutes is an affecting story about the courage of young women who carry and uplift one another through sexual trauma and the power of telling one’s own narrative...
Children’s books that illuminate a child’s vision of themselves
Gondra’s Treasures
By Linda Sue Park
Coupled with Jennifer Black Reinhardt’s exuberant and whimsical water-color illustrations, Linda Sue Park’s story about a young dragon named Gondra celebrates the abundance and joy that can result from an...
New year, new children’s books
Days with Dad
Korean artist Nari Hong’s debut picture book is both heart-warming and instructive. A disabled father apologizes for all the things he cannot do with his daughter, such as riding a bike or...
Illustrated API children’s books offer lessons in identity
Illustrated children’s books offer lessons in identity
Picture books to delight the youngest of readers
With its delightfully bright colors and large, geometric-shaped characters, There, There by Taro Miura seamlessly combines the teaching of animal sounds with the learning of emotion and empathy. The board book begins with the...
‘Girl in Glass’ a heartbreaking, honest look at human life
In February 2014 at an AOL town hall meeting, CEO Tim Armstrong cites “distressed babies” as the reason that the company has decided to cut the retirement benefits of its employees:
We had two...
