When Love Is More Than Words

Starred review from September 15, 2024
There's more than one way to say "I love you." An unnamed Asian-presenting child notes, "Some people say they love you with hugs, kisses, and three special words...But in my family, we do something different." Actions big and small and contextual clues send the same message. Great-grandma A-tzo always gives her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren the most luscious loquats from her garden. A patch of blooming blue irises planted by the child's now-deceased grandpa Keyo A-gong is a reminder of his presence. Mama saves the young narrator the tastiest part of the fish--"even if it means she gets the tail." Observing siblings, aunties, uncles, and more caring for one another, the child realizes that "I have a village of people around me." It's through "their laughter / their sacrifices / and their presence" that the child hears "I love you." Chung's elegant text is rife with concrete details, while Kuo deftly uses bold colors, black lines, and textures to create warmly energetic scenes of family gatherings and tables heaped with food. With joy and tenderness, Chung and Kuo convey an important truth; young people whose families express love in different ways will feel seen, heard, and embraced. Phrases in Taiwanese and Japanese appear throughout. Readers will feel the love--in every well-chosen word and each exquisite image.(Picture book. 5-8)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2024

K-Gr 2-What is love? Is love a belly full of food made just for you, or when you're given the best pieces at dinner? Is it flowers planted outside your window for your birthday? Is it when you're taught something new or protected from danger? A girl sees and feels love every day from the many members of her family, living and dead, in a work that shows how actions speak louder than words. Chung demonstrates Taiwan's intricate history by using Japanese names and Taiwanese phrases throughout her thoughtful prose. Kuo's digital art is soft and warm, a perfect complement to Chung's loving words. Along with interactions of family members, bustling scenes of people with black hair who cue as Asian, and scenes that further amplify diversity, Kuo also uses backgrounds to quietly demonstrate the intricacies of Taiwanese descent, showing a Japanese-style home in one spread and Chinese lettering on a wall decoration for another, in addition to delicious depictions of meals shared. VERDICT This is a sweet book about love being shown in all the ways that matter and would be enjoyed by parents and children reading together or in story-hour settings.-Kerri L. Williams

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 16, 2024
The caring acts of loved ones are the focus of this first-person work that models how affection can be relayed by actions. As the title opens, a young narrator notes how, instead of using the “three special words” that others employ, a great-grandmother grows loquats and lima beans so that “her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren/ can have bellies full of her love.” A grandfather showed devotion by planting bright blue irises when the protagonist was born, and the flowers deliver an annual birthday message: “Even though I’m not with you anymore,/ I still love you.” The child’s mama offers others the best parts of a fish (“even if it means she gets the tail”) and cares for elders, actions that lead to younger generations, too, participating. Conveying close-up images of family pairs caring for each other, Kuo’s sharply drawn digital illustrations use a graphic style with flat planes of color to suggest a depth of love expressed. Characters cue as East Asian. Ages 3–7.

July 1, 2024
A young Taiwanese American girl explains how her family members show their love. Keico A-ma (her grandma) expresses love through cooking, and Julie A-ma through teaching her piano and praying for their family. Her mama "lovingly cuts platters of fruit, " and Gene A-gong (grandpa) provides "gentle pats" on the back. Chung's soothing text is enhanced by Kuo's digital illustrations that capture tender interactions between the narrator and her family.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)