FICTION

Double Happiness

by Nancy Tupper LING
illus. by Alina Chau. 48p. Chronicle. Aug. 2015. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781452129181.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2—This beautifully illustrated story in verse details the difficulties and discoveries involved in moving, as told through the experiences of a Chinese American family. Gracie and Jake are moving away from San Francisco and from their grandmother, aunt, and uncle. To help her grandchildren come to grips with this change, Nai Nai gives them each a happiness box to fill with four objects to help them go from their old to the new home. Each poem focuses on something small, like a stuffed panda, a eucalyptus leaf, or a new room, that adds new layers to Grace and Jake's stories. The poems, which are also titled in Chinese characters, detail the kids' physical and emotional journeys in simple but vivid language. The watercolor illustrations are soft but intensely colored, with eye-catching details.
VERDICT This is a relatable book about coping with a move that would make a great recommendation for relocating families with young children.
Reviewed by Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT
A sweet picture book in verse (with poem titles in Chinese and English) explores the feelings of Chinese American siblings who move from San Francisco to a colder, rural home. Nai Nai (grandmother) gives them each a present for "double happiness": special boxes to be filled with memories connecting their old house to their new. Chau's vibrant watercolors combine Chinese themes and American scenes.
 , Aug 01, 2015

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