I Am Golden

By Eva Chen (Author) and Sophie Diao (Illustrator)

It is quite common for children’s books to be affirmations for the readers. Several of this year’s favorites fit this category. This is one of them.

In the current climate of anti-Asian sentiments and attacks, some children may need this encouragement to believe that it’s okay to be who they are. That’s what “I Am Golden” does.

Excuse the copyright infringement, but here’s a quote from the book,

“We know you feel alone sometimes.

People tell you that you’re different and you can’t be one of them.

But we promise… there is power in being different.”

Having read my share of similar books, I can tell you that the wonderful writing and illustrations for this book makes it stand out from the crowd.

American Desi

By Jyoti Rajan Gopal (Author) and Supriya Kelkar (Illustrator)

This is another one of the books that fit the category of being an affirmation for children.

However, what makes this standout is how the author juxtaposes characteristics of the main character’s Desi (Indian) culture with her American culture.

This book is what AACP is about. People often ask what types of books we carry, “Do you carry books in other languages and or written by people in other countries?” We carry some, but primarily we carry books for and or by Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. We also carry books about who we are.

“American Desi” explains this all in its title.

The complementary collage art and illustrations brilliantly matches the story’s skillful rhyming text. I didn’t notice this on my first quick reading. Christina Tai (one of our board members) pointed this out to me. Thank you Christina, for your vote of support for this book.

Eye’s that Speak to the Stars

By Joanna Ho (Author) and Dung Ho (Illustrator)

This is the last of the books that are affirmations for children in this year’s article.

I don’t know if I am biased by being male, but I think this book is even better than Joanna Ho’s earlier critically praised book called “Eyes that Kiss in the Corners” (another affirmation book directed more towards girls).

What really touched me were the relationships that the main character has with his grandfather, father, and brother.

I pointed this scene from the book out to a customer where the grandfather and main character are touching heads, and I’ll use a quote from those pages here (please excuse the copyright infringement again) –

“Agong has an answer for every question I ask on our early morning walks, but when I hug him good night, he cups my face in his hands and looks at me like I am the only answer that matters.”

Addy’s Cup of Sugar

By Jon J Muth

I wasn’t sure whether to include this one or not because it’s based on a Buddhist story (The Mustard Seed) and I was trying to refrain from folk tales and stories based on previous stories, but I thought this one was different enough from the original and because I like it so much.

“Addy’s Cup of Sugar” is part of Muth’s “Stillwater Tales” series where Stillwater the giant panda extols Buddhist philosophy to the neighborhood kids.

In this book, Stillwater’s friend Addy comes to him for help when her cat (named Trumpet) is hit by a car and dies.

Stillwater tasks Addy with getting a cup of sugar from the neighbors for the medicine that she would need and gives her the extra directive that “the sugar must be from a home where death is a stranger.”

When Addy can find no one that has not experienced death, she realizes that she is not quite alone. Death is a universal experience of being alive.

This book is so good, that even Muth’s end note is an important and well written part that needs reading.

Lift

By Minh Le (Author) and Dan Santat (Illustrator)

This one doesn’t seem to resonate for others as much as it does for me. But let me explain and maybe it will become one of your favorites too.

This is a story about Iris, her baby brother, and her parents. Iris often has down days, but the one thing that gives her a bit of enjoyment is pressing the elevator button to take the family up or down from their apartment. She’s in control and helping everyone until one day her brother presses the button before she does. Soon he’s doing it again. Iris feels betrayed.

While sitting in the lobby, Iris sees the elevator repairman fixing one of the elevators. When she notices that he has thrown out an elevator button, she grabs the button from the trash with the idea of taping it to her bedroom wall.

Later that day she tries the button and it magically takes her to worlds of her imagination. But the real magic is that she discovers that she’d like to have her brother come along too.

The title of “Lift” is not only about the elevator, but is also symbolic of Iris’s compassionate lifting of her brother’s life too. She becomes the wind beneath his wings.

Iris act reminded me of my siblings and parents, of how they brought me along for the journey and of how grateful I am for that. Perhaps that is why this book touched me on a deeper level.

May you be the lift for someone in your life too.

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