By Maureen, 31 October 2021

In poet Bao Phi’s diverse picture book, My Footprints (ages 5+), a little gap-toothed girl with dark hair and dark eyes imagines herself as different animals as she walks across a snow-covered landscape. Looking at the footprints she’s made, Thuy is, in turns, sad, gleeful, and angry. She’s fed up with being bullied and laughed at in school. With the help of her two moms, Thuy regains her confidence, creating an imaginary alter-ego embodying all that is dear to her. Basia Tran’s gorgeous colour- pencilled illustrations complement this gentle story about coming to terms with your own identity and drawing strength from it.     

NOTE: Thank you for reading my reviews! I’ll never take this website down, but in the interests of streamlining, from 1 January 2025, I’ll be posting new reviews on my writer website, www.maureentai.com, where I post lots of other bookish extras. See you there!

By Maureen Tai, 24 October 2021

Guji Guji (ages 4+) is a delightful picture book about love, family, and acceptance. And the perils of being too engrossed in your reading. Mother Duck doesn’t notice that she’s warming an oversized egg that has mysteriously rolled into her nest. When the eggs eventually hatch, she isn’t at all concerned that among her brood of multi-coloured ducklings, is a creature with distinctly crocodilian features. She names him Guji Guji and loves and cares for him as if he were like his other ducking siblings. Will this all change when Guji Guji meets others of his kind, and they turn out to have a ravenous appetite for duck meat? You’ll have to read to find out! Taiwanese author/illustrator Chih-Yuan Chen’s lovely tale will charm readers of all ages.

NOTE: Thank you for reading my reviews! I’ll never take this website down, but in the interests of streamlining, from 1 January 2025, I’ll be posting new reviews on my writer website, www.maureentai.com, where I post lots of other bookish extras. See you there!

By Maureen Tai, 17 October 2021

In Chih-Yuan Chen’s charming and gentle picture book, On My Way to Buy Eggs (ages 4+), we follow Shau-yu (“Little Fish”) as she threads her way through her sleepy Taiwanese neighbourhood to buy eggs for her father. Carefree Shau-yu toddles along in her flip flops: playing with shadows on the ground, peeking at a slumbering dog, finding all sorts of treasure: a blue marble, a line of crunchy leaves, a pair of spectacles. She is playful, imagining herself in a watery world, or pretending to be her mother, and curious, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Paired with textured, earth-toned illustrations, Chih-Yan’s masterful depiction of the little girl’s errand is a reminder of simple joys and everyday beauty, seen through the eyes of a child. What a wonderful world this is!

NOTE: Thank you for reading my reviews! I’ll never take this website down, but in the interests of streamlining, from 1 January 2025, I’ll be posting new reviews on my writer website, www.maureentai.com, where I post lots of other bookish extras. See you there!