When Love Is More Than Words

K-Gr 2–What is love? Is love a belly full of food made just for you, or when you’re given the best pieces at dinner? Is it flowers planted outside your window for your birthday? Is it when you’re taught something new or protected from danger? A girl sees and feels love every day from the many members of her family, living and dead, in a work that shows how actions speak louder than words. Chung demonstrates Taiwan’s intricate history by using Japanese names and Taiwanese phrases throughout her thoughtful prose. Kuo’s digital art is soft and warm, a perfect complement to Chung’s loving words. Along with interactions of family members, bustling scenes of people with black hair who cue as Asian, and scenes that further amplify diversity, Kuo also uses backgrounds to quietly demonstrate the intricacies of Taiwanese descent, showing a Japanese-style home in one spread and Chinese lettering on a wall decoration for another, in addition to delicious depictions of meals shared.