Welcome to Litsy!

A beautiful & touching slice-of-life picture book set in Suzhou during Chinese New Year, when a father who works far away comes home for his annual visit. Winner of a literary prize in China as well as making the list of NYT 10 Best Illustrated Children‘s Books in 2011. Translator unknown.

According to Leonard Marcus (in Pictured Worlds), close-up portraits of family members are a rare illustration choice in Chinese picture books, making “a striking statement about the value of an ordinary individual‘s thoughts and feelings.”

An emotional scene portrayed with such delicacy: the father is leaving once again for another year of construction work far away and the mother has turned her head to hide her anguish.

[from the back matter]: There are over 100 million migrant workers in China, many of whom work hundreds or sometimes thousands of miles away from home, returning only once each year, for just a few days, at New Year‘s.