(1) 4-6 As this graphic novel opens, JieJie and her younger brother, Didi, press their way through a windswept landscape toward an isolated telephone booth in the desert. It's their way of reaching their mother, who works at a factory in the "paradise" city of Oasis to make ends meet. The next time they try, on Didi's birthday, they don't get through; worried, they trek across a vast wasteland, without water and with only the clothes on their backs, toward Oasis. Along the way, they stumble upon the remnants of an abandoned, obsolete AI robot, which they activate to play the role of a mother. Before long, they develop a loving relationship with this artificial life form, but how will it compare with their real mother? The story unfolds cinematically, with carefully orchestrated images capturing evocative facial expressions in dynamic exchanges between characters seeking refuge and familial reconciliation. Softly shaded charcoal-esque panels (in pencil, toner powder, and digital editing) create a bleak, atmospheric mood, with occasional bursts of vibrant light. Themes of struggling for survival, preserving family connections, embracing humanity, and cultivating love resonate throughout this endearing tale of perseverance marked by hope against all odds.

Reviewer: Jerry Dear | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) 1-3 In this moving, mostly wordless graphic novel, a young girl of Chinese descent visits her grandmother on her own; the bond between the two deepens through their shared joy in storytelling and in observing nature. Central to the story is a flamingo, a wild rescue bird that Lao Lao (the grandmother) had saved and raised years ago when she was little. Guojing's expressive digital, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations have a timeless, cinematic quality, switching back and forth between the grandmother's bright, tropical childhood awash in shades of yellow, pink, and blue and the gray-hued present. This contrast becomes even greater when the granddaughter flies home (via a flamingo-pink airplane) to her family's lonely apartment in an imposing skyscraper-filled metropolis. A fantastical appearance by the titular character toward the end brings this gentle tale of family love--spanning time, distance, and generations--to a satisfying, heartwarming close. With its unfussy art and few words, the story leaves room for viewers' interpretation; what's never in question is the love between Lao Lao and her granddaughter.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(3) K-3 A lost child enters a dreamscape where kind, wise creatures entertain her, then eventually lead her home. Though it's a familiar scenario for wordless picture books, a preceding biographical author's note explains the emotions behind this fantasy: lonesomeness due to China's one-child policy. Guojing's dark, finely rendered pencil sketches in varying graphic panels are atmospheric and emotive.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey