Author Joanna Ho is Asian, and her children are part-Asian, part-white. However, I’ve also heard from several Caucasian mothers who enjoyed reading the Eyes That Kiss in the Corners book to their transracial and/or adoptive children. Her eyes are beautiful even if they don’t look like mine.” Really disappointed as I was looking forward to this book so much and want more books to celebrate her beauty. Kelly: “If your sweet girl’s eyes don’t look like their moms or grandma’s, then it could likely cause some hard feelings and conversations. I saw a few book reviews on Amazon that highlighted potential challenges with Eyes That Kiss in the Corners for transracial / adoptive families. Eyes That Kiss In The Corners is a true gift for friends, local libraries, and our community.īuy Eyes That Kiss in The Corners on Bookshop Trigger warning for transracial / adoptive families I feel so honored to have their brilliant work in our home library and have ordered several extra copies. Heartfelt gratitude to author Joanna Ho and illustrator Dung Ho for creating this beautiful masterpiece. The vast majority of these books are related to Lunar New Year and other festivals rather than regular, everyday life. Only ~8.7% of published books feature Asian/Asian American protagonists.

represent nearly three quarters (71%) of children’s and young adult books published in 2019. Taken together, books about white children, talking bears, trucks, monsters, potatoes, etc. “The number of books featuring BIPOC protagonists lags far behind the number of books with white main characters–or even those with animal or other characters. In the United States, according to research from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center: Since tea is a central part of Asian culture, I was moved by artistic analogies like “Gold flecks dance and twirl while stories whirl in their oolong pools…” Why the Eyes That Kiss in the Corners book is importantĬhildren deserve to see themselves represented in books and other media.

Taiwanese-American protagonist playing pretend with sister

The eyes that kiss in the corners