Eyes That Kiss in the Corners

by Joanna Ho

Hardcover, 2021

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Collections

Children's Books, Flint/ Genesee, Diversity & Inclusion

Publication

HarperCollins (2021), 40 pages

Description

"A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers'. They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She realizes that her eyes are like her mother's, her grandmother's, and her little sister's. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future. Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self love and empowerment. This powerful, poetic picture book will resonate with readers of all ages and is a celebration of diversity."--Provided by publisher.

User reviews

LibraryThing member varwenea

“Eyes that Kiss in the Corners” is a beautifully-told tale with equally beautiful illustrations. It’s possibly the first of its kind in children’s books, where the key storyline is celebrating the unique beauty of East Asian eyes. In the story, the “I” is a young Chinese girl who

acknowledges her eyes are not like her friends in the first page – not blue, not long, curly lashes, and not big eyes. Then the story addresses her eyes, that “they kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea”, just like her Mama’s. The story continues to her Amah, her grandmother, whose “eyes are filled with so many stories”. The story then brings in her little sister Mei-Mei, who “when she looks at me in that Mei-Mei way, I feel like I can fly”. The most powerful passage is written for herself, and I absolutely love these words.

“My eyes crinkle into crescent moons and sparkle like the stars.
Gold flecks dance and twirl while stories whirl
in their oolong pools,
carrying tales of the past and hope for the future.

My eyes find mountains that rise ahead and look up when others shut down.
My lashes curve like the swords of warriors and, through them, I see kingdoms in the clouds.

My eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea are a revolution.

They are Mama and Amah and Mei-Mei.
They are me.
And they are beautiful.”

When this book was released last year, my friend gushed about it and said her daughter would have NEEDED this book in her early years. After reading it, I understand the importance and magnificence of this book. Racist comments and gestures towards East Asians commonly target the eyes. This book shares and celebrates a different kind of beauty, one that is not measured by white standards. Rather it is teaching your child about inclusivity or comforting your child against cruel (and racist) classmates, this is a must have book. My goodness, it truly is fantastic!

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LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin

A young child notices how her eyes don't look like her classmates' wide orbs, but she doesn't care at all because she sees her eyes reflected in those of her mother's, grandmother's, and little sister's.

This is a gorgeous book to behold. The illustrations are top-notch and then some. I love how

vivid and colorful they are, especially with the child's ancestry and cultural heritage swirling around her in the later pages. The prose is lyrical, with a soothing cadence that is evocative.

I highly recommend this book for classrooms and households to talk about body image, representation, and family relationships. And also just because it is a beautiful book.

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LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26

A young Asian-American girl, first observing some of her friends' eyes, goes on to describe and celebrate her own, which "kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea." Her eyes are like her mother's, like her amah's (grandmother's), and like her Mei-mei's (little sister's), and they tie her to her

loving family, and to her cultural history. By loving her own eyes, and everything that they represent, the girl participates in a revolutionary act...

Educator and author Joanna Ho makes her debut in Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, and what a debut it is! With a poetic and poignant text, this book explores ideas of self love and self acceptance, taking a facial feature that sets many Asian-Americans apart from their peers, and celebrating it. I appreciated the framing of the story, with its initial positive description of other (European) eyes, and the follow-up statement that the narrator's eyes are different, and wonderful. This is a subtle point, but it emphasizes the fact that the girl's eyes are beautiful, not because they are different from any other kind of eyes - after all, all eyes are beautiful, and do not need to be judged in relation to any other - but because of their own intrinsic worth, and because they reflect the girl's familial and cultural heritage. The accompanying artwork from Vietnamese illustrator Dung Ho is simply gorgeous, utilizing a beautiful color palette, and depicting the girl and her family in a wonderfully expressive way that captures their loving bond. I highly recommend this one, both to any picture-book reader who personally needs this message about the beauty and value of "eyes that kiss in the corners," and to any that enjoy stories celebrating the beauty of human diversity. I think it could pair very nicely with books like Cozbi A. Cabrera's My Hair Is a Garden, which also celebrates a beautiful feature of a young girl's appearance, or Julianne Moore's Freckleface Strawberry.

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LibraryThing member villemezbrown

Thanksgiving family read-aloud picture book binge.

A powerful sentiment sweetly and poetically told with beautiful art.

LibraryThing member deslivres5

Body-positive story which has an Asian girl affirming the strength she gets from the commonality of a physical feature, lovely eyes, between her and her female relatives - her mother, grandmother and little sister.

The beautiful illustrations give an amazing dream-like quality which complement the

text.
The text, with its repetitive nature of a particular phrase, read like poetry to me, begging to be read aloud.

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LibraryThing member Whisper1

This is a book of self acceptance and learning that while our looks may be different than others, we add to the rich culture of the country where we live.

Wonderfully beautiful with a special message of the reality that differences are good. When the girl realizes her eyes have the same shape as her

sister, her mother and her grandmother. They all have eyes that glow like warm tea, and their shape lends to a kiss in the corner.

The illustrations are incredibly beautiful. And, the story of love of family.

I checked this out from the local library. It is a book I will return and purchase a copy for my personal library.

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LibraryThing member sloth852

Beautifully illustrated celebration of heritage and how your body shows it.

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