Eyes that Speak to the Stars
by Joanna Ho
illustrated by Dung Ho
Harper, 2022. 36 pages.
Review written April 6, 2022, from a library book
Starred Review
Eyes that Speak to the Stars is a companion picture book to Eyes that Kiss in the Corners, by the same pair of creators, published last year. Both books are lyrical, beautiful, and poetic, and both affirm children of Asian descent and how proud they can be of how they look and who they are. Eyes that Kiss in the Corners features an Asian American girl, and this book features an Asian American boy.
Eyes that Speak to the Stars begins as a boy’s Baba notices that he is feeling sad. He explains that his friend drew a picture of their group of friends — and the picture of the boy had slanted eyes and didn’t look like him at all.
When we got home,
Baba stood with me in front of a mirror and said,
“Your eyes rise to the skies and speak to the stars.
The comets and constellations
show you their secrets,
and your eyes can
foresee the future.
Just like mine.”
The boy’s eyes are just like Baba’s and just like Agong’s. And they are also just like his baby brother Di-Di’s eyes.
When Di-Di’s dyelids finally flutter open,
I orbit his crib,
making funny faces and singing silly songs
until his laugh grows so big
it spreads up his cheeks
and makes his eyes squeeze shut again.
And all four have “eyes that rise to the skies and speak to the stars.” They are powerful and visionary
There’s a lot of lofty symbolism in this book, but the author pulls it off along with the beautiful paintings. This book is about a child celebrating who they are and their own proud heritage. It’s lovely.
And for someone reading this book whose eyes don’t have the same shape, we’ve got a lovely window into a wonderful loving family.
Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.
Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
What did you think of this book?
*Note* To try to catch up on posting reviews, I’m posting the oldest reviews I’ve written on my blog without making a page on my main website. They’re still good books.