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.

The moment when the mother tells her little racoon that if he ever misses her to put his palm with the kiss up to his face and remember that his mom loves him and is always with him.

This book is great for reading to kids are nervous about starting school for the first time. This story is heartwarming and beautiful. The illustrations used in the story are outstanding. They look more like sketches. All of the pages have illustration colors from edge to edge. The colors used are neutral and settle not too overwhelming. The color used for each page makes the animals look real and alive on the page.

“Ill be coming on home soon-- like a song you want to sing over and over“

I think this book would be great to use in a history lesson, It is a heartfelt story that gives a glimpse into life for people of color during the civil war. It is also an empowering story about a mother going away to provide for her family, and keeping true to her word and the power of love even when far away.

This book won the Caldecott award in 2005, it talks about a young girls perspective on missing her mother when she leaves to work during the civil war, the young girl lives with her grandma clinging to her mothers loving words. We see her grandma presented as tough and strong but she although a little kitten in to keep her company. At the end the young girl receives a letter from her mom with a promise to be home soon.