Smiling Eyes

K-Gr 2–An ode to eyes and their capacity for conveying diverse messages. Park uses rhyme to tell of one community-engaged youth’s experience with a variety of individuals throughout the day: “Smiling eyes/ Bright eyes/ Twinkling eyes—wink!” Readers are taken through what appears to be a typical day for the main character, unnamed and with no pronouns, with black hair and brown eyes, and of Asian descent. The spirited youth can be seen in different settings, such as the neighborhood dumpling shop. Every illustration is full of color and texture. The artist appears to have used a mix of watercolor and sketch. The vibrant illustrations help readers connect with the characters and the community, which appears to be a highly populated city. Language used in this book is fitting for early readers. This is not intended as a story with full-blown character development but snapshots of a bustling cityscape and its residents. The cover shows three children, one with blue eyes, the others with brown. Among families, no two characters look alike, and the streets are filled with those from different cultures or backgrounds without assigning racial identification. If the goal is to create a poetic representation of people within a busy city, this is an utter success.