Khoa Le (1)Critiques

I've always been a fan of short stories that hit you on another level. Words are very powerful and when intermixed with such beautiful illustrations, they only move you more. Absolutely loved this.

Absolutely beautiful book, with lovely and touching story.

A lovely book, both in words and pictures.

This is the story of Kalia, a young Hmong refugee and her family. Kalia hears stories from her great-grandmother who grew up in the jungles of Laos and is now living with her grandson and his family in the United States. (She is called grandmother in the book.) Grandmother tells of her encounter with the tiger and of the one tooth still left standing in her mouth and how she has no photos of her parents. Kalia and her siblings take care of Grandmother, bathing her, trimming her fingernails and toenails, and washing her clothes. There's no money for the ice cream truck or a new dress or meat. Finally Kalia asks for braces. Her parents say no, they can't afford them. The book finishes with the grandmother saying "Is not my smile beautiful"

Summary: The book follows the story of a young girl growing up with her grandmother. Her grandmother is her inspiration and she is so close to her. As she grows up she becomes ashamed of her family but in the end, she realizes how her culture is an important factor in her life and she would not trade it for the world.
Reflection: I love how this book reminds us of how we all grow up with our culture but sometimes stray from it within time. It reminds me of Americanization and how we all become Americanized and soon realize we have strayed from what makes us, us. I love how the main character though becomes in love with her culture and family again in the end.

This book is about a young girl and the challenges her family encounters. They don't have enough money for certain things such as food and her braces. Her grandma tells her of the difficulties she faced growing up and how she had to take care of her siblings with a lack of food and money. Although they can afford her braces, she is reminded of her Grandma's smile and how it is the most beautiful thing. The book also has amazing illustrations that portray their family experiences. This is a great book for 2nd-4th grade.

in biography - Hmong family story

This book is quite beautiful.

Hmong-American author and memoirist Kao Kalia Yang turns to her own childhood and to her relationship with her grandmother in this poignant autobiographical picture-book. Helping to care for this beloved elder, listening to her stories about her childhood in Laos, and receiving some important wisdom from her, the narrator is given comfort and reassurance, when her family cannot afford to give her braces, by her grandmother's loving smile. Despite poverty and hardship, despite the fact that her grandmother has only one tooth left, this smile is the most beautiful thing...

I initially sought out The Most Beautiful Thing because I am an admirer of the illustrator, Vietnamese artist Khoa Le. I have read and enjoyed three of Le's own picture-books - The Cloud Princess, Sun and Moon Sisters and The Boy with the Big Hair - and was delighted to see that she is becoming better known here in the states, and receiving commissions from mainstream American publishers. Needless to say, the artwork here was absolutely gorgeous, with a beautifully deep but subtle color palette, elegantly stylized figures, and an overall composition that was as creative as it was appealing. The story was moving, highlighting how family love, as symbolized by the grandmother's smile, can hold people together during tough times, and bring beauty and joy to all. I was struck by the fact that Kao Kalia and her sister and cousins had to physically care for their grandmother, and found some of these scenes unexpectedly moving. As someone who lived apart from my grandparents as a child, this was not an experience I ever had, but I can understand it now, caring for my elderly mother. Highly recommended, to fellow Khoa Le fans, and to picture-book readers seeking stories about grandparents, immigrant families, poverty, and/or the Hmong-American experience.

In an interview, the author explained that this book “is very much the story of my family’s life in America with my beloved grandmother.” At her feet, she learned the stories about her Hmong family’s past.

Grandma’s story is one of poverty, hardship, survival, and acceptance. Through her stories, she taught her granddaughter about the value of smiling through adversity.

Over the years, Yang reports in the story, her grandma’s stories slowed and “the pauses between her words grew long.”

Meanwhile, Yang grew up and began to want things that other kids had, but that they could not afford. In particular, she wanted braces. Her grandmother, who only had one tooth left even by the time Kalia was born, said to her, “Kalia. Look at me. Is my smile not beautiful?”

In that moment, Kalia writes, she could see all the times her grandmother smiled at her, and the love that came with it, and she concluded, “Her smile was the most beautiful thing.”

The lush, stunning mixed media illustrations by Khoa Le are suggestive of Hmong textile art.

There is a bilingual glossary, including pronunciations, in the front of the book.

Yang in her interview said that she grew up poor, and knew poverty well. She averred “Poverty is nothing new, but it remains underrepresented and oftentimes misrepresented in children’s picture books. It’s hard to do it well.” But, she added, it is important for all of us to see ourselves represented.”

Evaluation: This story offers such interesting insights into the Hmong culture. In addition, the gorgeous illustrations will mesmerize those who select this book.

This is a wonderful book about a Hmong immigrant family taking care of their elder, grandma. The story revolves around the grandma and how her granddaughter helps to take care of her. It starts with the girl saying she doesn't know how old grandma is, and recalling stories from her youth. As the girl gets older she resents the poverty the family is living with but also understands the richness of family when she thinks about her grandma. The illustrations are expressive and vibrant which make the story full. This would be a good addition to a school or classroom library.

This is a book that starts off sad, a baby polar bear wakes up alone in a storm without his mom. It turns into adventure with a few friends including a little girl who all come to help him. It would be a good book for anyone to show kids the affect of climate change. I personally enjoyed the book for its message but it seemed a little too predictable even for a kids book.½

Celestial sisters, the Sun and Moon ruled the sky together, until jealousy came between them, and they began to wonder which was more important, and more beloved by the people below on earth. Deciding to switch roles as an experiment, Sun shines at night, keeping everyone awake and withering the plants, while Moon shines during the day, depriving everyone of the warmth and light they need as they go about their daily activities. In each case, the children plead with the two sisters to return to their usual role, eventually assuring them that they are equally important.

An original fairy-tale about the importance of balance, Sun and Moon Sisters is strongly reminiscent of various folk-tales I have read, and offers children a gentle lesson about the importance of both the sun and moon to our earthly existence. Although Khoa Le is Vietnamese, this lovely picture-book was originally published in Switzerland, as Lune et soleil. I have not been able to determine, with this, or with the previous titles from this talented artist that I have read, whether her books are also available in her native country. Leaving that aside, this was a beautiful volume, one that presents an engaging tale and gorgeous artwork. Recommended to anyone looking for original stories about ecological balance, or who just enjoys beautifully-illustrated fairy-tales.½

Harry's reluctance to get a haircut leads to trouble in this cautionary tale from Vietnamese author/artist Khoa Le, as a pair of doves, mistaking his untidy head for a likely home, take up residence there and build a nest. Soon the doves have a family, and Harry finds himself exiled from singing class when his avian companions' noise gets to be too much for his teacher. When a tree begins to grow out of a seed in the doves' nest, and a whole flock of birds take up residence, the young boy has finally had enough, appealing to his mother, who finds the best solution for him, and for the tree.

Originally published in Switzerland as Noé l'ébouriffé, and translated into English by the San Rafael-based publisher Insight Editions, this appealing little confection of a picture-book reminded me a bit of David Small's classic, Imogen's Antlers, which also featured a child protagonist with something unexpected growing out of their head. Of course, in Harry's case the nest and tree are the result of his own refusal to groom properly, making The Boy With the Big Hair more of a didactic cautionary tale than Small's book. I enjoyed Khoa Le's story here, but it was her artwork that really appealed to me, with its vivid but subtle color palette, its cute (but not too cute) cartoon-style characters, and its general feeling of magic. My only complaint, and I felt the same way about Le's The Cloud Princess - the only other story I have read from this talented author/artist - was with the use of a holographic lenticular cover, which added very little in my opinion. Leaving that aside, this was a sweet story, one with gorgeous artwork, that I would recommend to anyone looking for tales about children who are reluctant to brush their hair and/or get haircuts, as well as to anyone who admires Khoa Le's artwork.½

The Cloud Princess wonders about life on the Earth in this original ecological fairy-tale from Vietnamese artist Khoa Le, eventually venturing down to see it herself after hearing it described by Miss Sun. Enchanted by the beauty of what she sees, the Cloud Princess descends lower and lower, until she begins to feel lightheaded, and begins to disintegrate into tiny rain drops. Ascending again, lest she be completely undone, the heavenly princess nevertheless retains her interest in the Earth, visiting again from time to time and bringing the Spring Rain with her...

Originally published in Switzerland as Princesse des nuages, this lovely picture-book was translated into English by the California-based Insight Kids. It isn't clear to me, even after doing some research, whether it was also published in its creator's native Vietnam, where she apparently lives and exhibits her work. Leaving that aside, the text of The Cloud Princess is simple and engaging, combining fairy-tale elements reminiscent of mythology - anthropomorphized celestial beings, for instance - with scientific concepts such as rain coming from clouds. The artwork is beautiful, with a vibrant color scheme and sweet, somewhat cartoon-like figures. I was charmed by this first book from Khao Le and, as I understand other titles have recently been translated, plan to seek out more of her work.½

silly story about not getting a hair cut, then a pair of birds move in, then a tree - and on and on, until a hair cut is the solution.