I Dream of Popo
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From New York Times bestselling author Livia Blackburne and illustrator Julia Kuo, here is I Dream of Popo. This delicate, emotionally rich picture book celebrates a special connection that crosses time zones and oceans as Popo and her granddaughter hold each other in their hearts forever.
I dream with Popo as she rocks me in her arms.
I wave at Popo before I board my flight.
I talk to Popo from across the sea.
I tell Popo about my adventures.
When a young girl and her family emigrate from Taiwan to America, she leaves behind her beloved popo, her grandmother. She misses her popo every day, but even if their visits are fleeting, their love is ever true and strong.
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021
A Booklist Editors' Choice Winner for 2021
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Steeped in personal history, this picture book from a Taiwanese American author-illustrator-editor team tenderly portrays the time zone transcending love between a girl and her grandmother. Spotlighted variations on the titular phrase launch descriptions of the experiences the first-person protagonist shares with Popo: "I bow to Popo on New Year's Day," one page begins, sensorially relaying Lunar New Year traditions and foods that the family enjoys. Though the child subsequently moves from Taiwan to the U.S. ("I wave at Popo"), meets new friends ("I think of Popo"), and learns English ("I talk to Popo"), her relationship with Popo remains robust, even as her ties with her first language weaken. Digital illustrations evoking vintage advertisements have an effectively nostalgic quality, enhanced by abstract-colored skies, a subtle rice paper like texture, and a subdued mid-century modern palette, while contemporary touches, including spreads of the girl and Popo video chatting, ground the story in the present day. A richly nuanced narrative that illuminates the interstices of one family's diasporic experience. Back matter includes author's and illustrator's notes, as well as a Mandarin-English glossary with pronunciations in pinyin. Ages 3 6.
