I Dream of Popo

by Livia Blackburne, Julia Kuo (Illustrator)

Overview

From New York Times bestselling author Livia Blackburne and illustrator Julia Kuo, here is I Dream of Popo. This delicate, emotionally rich picture book celebrates a special connection that crosses time zones and oceans as Popo and her granddaughter hold each other in their hearts forever.

I dream with Popo as she rocks me in her arms.
I wave at Popo before I board my flight.
I talk to Popo from across the sea.
I tell Popo about my adventures.

When a young girl and her family emigrate from Taiwan to America, she leaves behind her beloved popo, her grandmother. She misses her popo every day, but even if their visits are fleeting, their love is ever true and strong.

A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021
A Booklist Editors' Choice Winner for 2021

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250249319
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	01/05/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	71,879
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD510L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Livia Blackburne is the New York Times bestselling author of the Midnight Thief and Rosemarked duologies. Livia was born in Taipei, Taiwan and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, when she was five. After a twelve-year stint at Harvard and MIT, where she earned an AB in biochemical sciences and a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, she moved to Los Angeles, where she now lives with her husband and daughter.

Julia Kuo is a Taiwanese-American illustrator who has worked with The New York Times, Google, and Science Friday. Julia has taught illustration courses at Columbia College Chicago and at her alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis. She is the illustrator of Drawing Leaves and Tress: Observing and Sketching the Natural World, Katrina Goldsaito's The Sound of Silence, Roni Schotter's Go, Little Green Truck!, Melissa Gilbert's Daisy and Josephine, 20 Ways to Draw a Dress, 20 Ways to Draw a Cat, and Everyone Eats.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/30/2020

Steeped in personal history, this picture book from a Taiwanese American author-illustrator-editor team tenderly portrays the time zone–transcending love between a girl and her grandmother. Spotlighted variations on the titular phrase launch descriptions of the experiences the first-person protagonist shares with Popo: “I bow to Popo on New Year’s Day,” one page begins, sensorially relaying Lunar New Year traditions and foods that the family enjoys. Though the child subsequently moves from Taiwan to the U.S. (“I wave at Popo”), meets new friends (“I think of Popo”), and learns English (“I talk to Popo”), her relationship with Popo remains robust, even as her ties with her first language weaken. Digital illustrations evoking vintage advertisements have an effectively nostalgic quality, enhanced by abstract-colored skies, a subtle rice paper–like texture, and a subdued mid-century modern palette, while contemporary touches, including spreads of the girl and Popo video chatting, ground the story in the present day. A richly nuanced narrative that illuminates the interstices of one family’s diasporic experience. Back matter includes author’s and illustrator’s notes, as well as a Mandarin-English glossary with pronunciations in pinyin. Ages 3–6. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Readers will connect with this visual story on various levels or learn something new; possibly both. #Ownvoices tributes to childhood memories of home: It is as much an emotional space as a physical place.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“A richly nuanced narrative that illuminates the interstices of one family’s diasporic experience.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This modern tale beautifully explores what it’s like for a child to move across the globe and the toll that family separations can take.” —Booklist, starred review

“A tender, emotionally resonant tale of a girl who must say goodbye to Popo, her beloved grandmother, when her family emigrates from Taiwan to the United States.” —The Buffalo News

“A beautiful story to share between parents or grandparents and the children they love.” —The Daily Press

“A lyrical and heartfelt tribute to the power of love across geography and generations.” —Bookpage

“Rich with emotions, cultural traditions, and enchanting illustrations, this book celebrates the love between a child and grandparent.” —Andrea Wang, for Parents Magazine

"Blackburne’s nuanced narrative and Kuo’s eye-catchingly hued illustrations bring readers on a heartwarming journey, providing an opportunity to explore and discuss the themes of identity, roots, connection, and emigration." —The Horn Book

American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book for Children 2022
New York Public Library Best Books of 2021
Booklist Editor’s Choice 2021
Evanstan Public Library 101 Great Books for Kids 2021
Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices 2022
Stacey Abrams’s List of Remarkable Books

From the Publisher

★ 2020-11-18
A picture book centering a young emigrant’s journey as well as her homecoming.

Unlike conventional or traditional narratives that launch immigrant characters on one-way passages and their accompanying plots along linear trajectories, this focused family story illustrates modern migration by choice as an evolving tale of round trips through conscious reconnections with one’s origins. The young protagonist moves from Taiwan to San Diego and learns English at school while staying connected with Popo, the grandmother who stayed in Taiwan, via video chats. As time passes, linguistic barriers blur along with ongoing transitions between cultures and geographies: A once-fluent vernacular recedes to accommodate new sounds and expressions until the child even dreams of Popo speaking English. Sympathetic, gentle treatments of aging and illness convey life’s inevitabilities with a loving imagination steeped in the scent of sweet osmanthus. Faithful representations of Chinese-language signage, street scenes, and cityscapes evoke nostalgia for those familiar with Taiwan and its vibrant food culture. Whimsical depictions of Chinese New Year at home and Popo’s kitchen are authentic, down to the accurate details on a calendar, dumpling making from scratch, and the iconic rice cooker. Readers will connect with this visual story on various levels or learn something new; possibly both. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

#Ownvoices tributes to childhood memories of home: It is as much an emotional space as a physical place. (author’s note, illustrator’s note, glossary) (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews