Amah Faraway

by Margaret Chiu Greanias, Tracy Subisak (Illustrator)

Overview

Acclaim for Amah Faraway: A 2022 Caliba Golden Poppy Award Finalist for Mirrors & Windows: Excellence in Children's Literature | A 2023 Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year Selection | A Junior Library Guild Selection | A 2023 Crystal Kite Finalist (California)

A delightful story of a child’s visit to a grandmother and home far away, and of how families connect and love across distance, language and cultures.

Kylie is nervous about visiting her grandmother—her Amah—who lives SO FAR AWAY. In Taipei, Kylie is shy with Amah. Even though they have spent time together in video chats, those aren’t the same as real life. And Kylie is at first uncomfortable with the less-familiar language, customs, culture and food. However, after she plays and splashes in the hot springs (which aren’t that different from pools at home), Kylie begins to see this place through her grandmother’s eyes and sees a new side of things that used to scare her. Soon, Kylie is leading her Amah back through all her favorite places and having SO MUCH FUN! And when it is time to go home, the video chats will be extra special until they can visit faraway again.

Backmatter includes author and illustrator notes and a guide to some of the places and foods explored in Taiwan.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781547607211
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	01/25/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	668,150
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Margaret Chiu Greanias is the author of Maximillian Villainous. The daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, she grew up in New York, Texas, and California, while her Amah lived far away in Taipei. This book was inspired by her childhood memories visiting her Amah-exploring night markets, splashing in hot springs, and connecting with relatives-and by her children experiencing Taiwan with their Amah for the first time. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, three children, and a fluffle of dust bunnies. Find her online at margaretgreanias.com.
@MargaretGreania

Tracy Subisak can't stop thinking about being back in Taipei, eating yóutiáo and dòujiang (soy milk) with her Amah and Mama. Tracy is the daughter of a Taiwanese mother and Polish American father. She lived in Taipei for a bit as an adult and saw her Amah every week, ate delicious night-market snacks, and enjoyed every detail of beautiful Taiwan. She is the author-illustrator of Jenny Mei Is Sad, and has illustrated books including the award-winning Shawn Loves Sharks by Curtis Manley and Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane by Kirsten Larson. Visit her online at tracysubisak.com.
@tracysubisak

Editorial Reviews

11/29/2021

In this carefully structured picture book by a Taiwanese American author-illustrator team, black-haired, light-skinned Kylie, who lives in San Francisco, is apprehensive about visiting her Amah in Taipei. Though the duo connects weekly online, the language and culture feel somewhat daunting to Kylie when she and her mother arrive: “With/ ears pricked, she listened to Amah talk./ Kylie kind of understood.” Chiu Greanias (Maximillian Villainous) employs a gently circular form that emphasizes how Kylie’s feelings flip: “After she dipped a toe in the water.../ Kylie changed!/ The day they visited the hot springs?/ It was a brand-new day.” Approachable, warmly colored doodle-style art by Subisak (Jenny Mei Is Sad)—rendered in ink, watercolor, pastel, and colored pencil—invitingly traces Kylie, her mother, and her grandmother’s time in Taipei, including its restaurants, parks, and night market, appended with speech bubbles of English and Chinese with pinyin. Encouraging openness toward new experiences amid a centering of one child’s diasporic shift in cultural perception, this contemporary tale tenderly spotlights the strengthening of an intergenerational relationship. Back matter includes creators’ notes, a guide to the Taipei sights featured, and meanings behind Taiwanese foods. Ages 3–6. Author’s agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Literary. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"A heartfelt homage to her Taiwanese heritage that binds multiple generations on either side of the globe. . . . Margaret Chiu Greanias and Tracy Subisak delightfully, inventively present a hesitant child's transformative reunion with her Taiwanese grandmother on the other side of the world." - Shelf Awareness, starred review

“Subisak’s watercolor, pencil, and ink illustrations lovingly show details from Taiwanese life and culture. Ranging from multiple vignettes per page to full spreads, they possess an almost cinematic storyboard quality while supporting the mirrored narrative symmetry that has the hot spring visit as its midpoint. . . . This is a poignantly emotional and highly relatable story for children whose grandparents or other family members might live far away, but also one that teaches universal lessons about overcoming fears of the unfamiliar.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“An au courant portrayal of a transnational childhood.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A sympathetic portrayal of long-distance family ties.” —Booklist

“Encouraging openness toward new experiences amid a centering of one child's diasporic shift in cultural perception, this contemporary tale tenderly spotlights the strengthening of an intergenerational relationship.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2021

PreS-Gr 2—Kylie and her mother travel to Taipei from San Francisco to spend time with her Amah, or grandmother, with whom she video chats frequently but can't visit because of the distance. At first, the little girl feels nervous and unsure about the excursion, daunted by the language barrier and overwhelmed by new tastes and sights Amah wants to share with her. However, when they visit the hot springs, Kylie finally finds that embracing this comforting activity bonds her with her Amah and allows her to enjoy the rest of the stay. She delights in all of the things she found strange at first, and is sad to leave her grandmother when it's time to return home. She enthusiastically continues to video chat with her grandmother every Saturday and is no longer scared, but excited for future visits. Subisak's watercolor, pencil, and ink illustrations lovingly show details from Taiwanese life and culture. Ranging from multiple vignettes per page to full spreads, they possess an almost cinematic storyboard quality while supporting the mirrored narrative symmetry that has the hot spring visit as its midpoint. Taiwanese words and conversation are used throughout, clear from context. VERDICT As is true for Hyewon Yum's Grandpa Across the Ocean, this is a poignantly emotional and highly relatable story for children whose grandparents or other family members might live far away, but also one that teaches universal lessons about overcoming fears of the unfamiliar.—Yelena Voysey, formerly at Pickering Educational Lib., Boston Univ.

School Library Journal

2021-10-13
A child and her grandmother connect across the miles through food and fellowship.

Kylie is anxious as she departs San Francisco for Taipei to visit Amah, whom she doesn’t often visit. In Taipei, Kylie negotiates unfamiliar situations, including a banquet replete with “steaming food” and many aunts, uncles, and cousins (“actual…or not?”). Kylie remains hesitant and keeps her physical and emotional distance while her mother and Amah play in the park and drag her through a night market. Kylie’s attitude shifts midway through the story when she decides to give the hot springs a try and discovers she loves them. As a result, Kylie enthusiastically explores her environment, transforming into the leader of their expeditions. The verbal and visual narratives here mirror the first half of the story with changes in context: Kylie now embraces, for instance, the "Chinese donuts,” which resemble savory churros. The backmatter contains biographical anecdotes from the author and the illustrator, information about some of Taipei’s tourist attractions, and a note about popular foods in Taiwan and their symbolism in Chinese traditional culture. These descriptions, both from women with Taiwanese grandmothers, reflect the diverse cultural makeup of Taiwan’s population as it has shifted during the last two centuries. The Chinese-language phrases—shown in traditional characters as if composed by a child’s hand, minor errors and all—comprise another distinguishing feature in centering the experiences of the diaspora.

An au courant portrayal of a transnational childhood. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews