Amah Faraway
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
Acclaim for Amah Faraway: A 2022 Caliba Golden Poppy Award Finalist for Mirrors & Windows: Excellence in Children's Literature | A 2023 Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year Selection | A Junior Library Guild Selection | A 2023 Crystal Kite Finalist (California)
A delightful story of a child's visit to a grandmother and home far away, and of how families connect and love across distance, language and cultures.
Kylie is nervous about visiting her grandmother-her Amah-who lives SO FAR AWAY. In Taipei, Kylie is shy with Amah. Even though they have spent time together in video chats, those aren't the same as real life. And Kylie is at first uncomfortable with the less-familiar language, customs, culture and food. However, after she plays and splashes in the hot springs (which aren't that different from pools at home), Kylie begins to see this place through her grandmother's eyes and sees a new side of things that used to scare her. Soon, Kylie is leading her Amah back through all her favorite places and having SO MUCH FUN! And when it is time to go home, the video chats will be extra special until they can visit faraway again.
Backmatter includes author and illustrator notes and a guide to some of the places and foods explored in Taiwan.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this carefully structured picture book by a Taiwanese American author-illustrator team, black-haired, light-skinned Kylie, who lives in San Francisco, is apprehensive about visiting her Amah in Taipei. Though the duo connects weekly online, the language and culture feel somewhat daunting to Kylie when she and her mother arrive: "With/ ears pricked, she listened to Amah talk./ Kylie kind of understood." Chiu Greanias (Maximillian Villainous) employs a gently circular form that emphasizes how Kylie's feelings flip: "After she dipped a toe in the water.../ Kylie changed!/ The day they visited the hot springs?/ It was a brand-new day." Approachable, warmly colored doodle-style art by Subisak (Jenny Mei Is Sad)—rendered in ink, watercolor, pastel, and colored pencil—invitingly traces Kylie, her mother, and her grandmother's time in Taipei, including its restaurants, parks, and night market, appended with speech bubbles of English and Chinese with pinyin. Encouraging openness toward new experiences amid a centering of one child's diasporic shift in cultural perception, this contemporary tale tenderly spotlights the strengthening of an intergenerational relationship. Back matter includes creators' notes, a guide to the Taipei sights featured, and meanings behind Taiwanese foods. Ages 3–6. Author's agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary. Illustrator's agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Literary.
