(2) PS A young immigrant girl and her mother adjust to life in a new city in this hopeful picture book about resilience. The story follows the little girl over the course of a year as she grows more confident, makes friends, and ultimately thrives. She compares herself to a dandelion: "Like feathery seeds," she and her mother "take flight," leaving their homeland by plane. We aren't told why, but art on the dedication page shows the two boarding a military-looking bus. Lee's digitally rendered illustrations look like collage and have a tactile quality. Initially dark and oppressive when the family arrives in the city, the art lightens as the girl begins to acclimate to her surroundings: "We put down roots / in unfamiliar soil." As winter turns to spring, she blossoms; by book's end, she's strong enough to help welcome other newcomers. "Like a dandelion, I am strong and giving, planted happily in soil that I now call home." A photo of Lee and her siblings taken in a Cambodian refugee camp in the 1970s accompanies an author's note with some dandelion lore, and Lee dedicates the book in part to "my parents and siblings, with whom I shared this journey."

Reviewer: Michelle Lee

(3) PS Children at play are shown in elegant cut-paper collage, while a simple text counts from one to ten: "Five carry. / Six pull. / Seven tiptoe." Included are Chinese characters for the number and the verb; the verbs contain either the "hand" or "foot" symbol as part of the character. Not an introduction to the language, the book is instead a brief look at the inherent logic within Chinese characters.

Reviewer:

(4) K-3 Charming cut-paper collage in pastel colors illustrates this story about Xiao Ming and his mother. While enjoying the trees and birds at the park, Mother shows Xiao Ming how to draw some Chinese characters, and he notices how some characters resemble the objects they stand for. Although the story is merely a vehicle for the introductory lesson, the basic information is intriguing.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.