My Mei Mei
Starred Review.PreSchool-Grade 2–There are other picture books about traveling to China to adopt a child, but what sets this one apart is the relationship between the first adoptive daughter, Antonia, and herMei Mei, or younger sister. Based on Youngs experience, the text follows Antonias story beginning with her arrival from China and her early years, to her request for aMei Mei, to her disillusionment with her less-than-perfect sibling, to the girls evolving closeness and love for each other. The narrative is told gracefully in Antonias expressive, childlike voice: When we returned, I found out that she was not what she ought to be. She couldnt walk. She couldnt talk. She couldnt play. She took all the attention away from me. Youngs illustrations in gouache, pastel, and collage are irresistibly beautiful and filled with feeling. A significant page turn takes readers from Antonias anticipation about their first meeting to Mei Meis crying baby face filling an entire page. Most spreads achieve a serene unity through the use of varying wallpaper-like designs. A definitive composition shows the sisters lying together, legs intertwined, sharing a book, their form echoed against a gently curving floral background. A simple story of family bonds unerringly told.–Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Old Greenwich, CTCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.