When Allison tries on the red kimono her grandmother has sent her, she is suddenly aware that she resembles her favorite doll more than she does her mother and father. When her parents try to explain that she is adopted, her world becomes an uncomfortable place. She becomes angry and withdrawn. She wonders why she was given up, what her real name is, and whether other children have parents in faraway countries. Allison's doll becomes her only solace until she finds a stray cat in the garden and learns the true meaning of adoption and parental love.
1 of 1 copy available
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 27, 2004 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780547767024
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780547767024
- File size: 2628 KB
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 2.3
- Lexile® Measure: 430
- Interest Level: K-3(LG)
- Text Difficulty: 1-2
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Reviews
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September 20, 2004
In a starred review, PW
said, "A subtle, sensitive probing of interracial adoption, this exquisitely illustrated story will encourage thoughtful adult-child dialogue on a potentially difficult issue." Ages 4-8. -
Starred review from October 27, 1997
A deep-gold jacket serves as a portrait frame for the title character's two pivotal moments in this penetrating picture book about a young girl who learns to accept her adopted family. The cover image shows Allison wearing a kimono--a gift from Grandmother--just like that worn by her doll Mei Mei; when the child stares into the mirror, she smiles to see that she and Mei Mei look very much alike, but when she sees her American mother and father, "her smile disappeared." Caldecott Medalist Say's (Grandfather's Journey) watercolors externalize Allison's inner landscape, a beige and neutral world in which she provides the only relief. The photographic quality of the art underscores Say's realistic treatment of his delicate subject (e.g., Allison's angry face after she shears the dolls whose "hair wasn't like Mei Mei's," an empty picture hook on the wall behind her). Cleverly, Say uses a stray cat that Allison wants to adopt to help her come to terms with her anger as she realizes everyone needs a family. A subtle, sensitive probing of interracial adoption, this exquisitely illustrated story will encourage thoughtful adult-child dialogue on a potentially difficult issue. Ages 4-8.
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