I have to say, this one was not for me. I picked it because of the cover, which is adorable. The story is about a child, Thuy, who is being made fun of at school. Thuy walks away and notices her footprints in the snow. She notices a bird and imitates it, and continues on her way home. She remembers a deer she saw once, and thinks about animals and their families. She pretends to be other animals, and makes their footprints in the snow. I think the main issue I have with the story is every time Thuy says “My footprints.” It doesn’t seem to go with the story, and it breaks the flow for me. We find out why Thuy was being made fun of at school. It also feels like there are too many hot topics being addressed here. While these issues definitely need to be addressed, I feel like having them all together seems a bit too much.
I was provided this ARC free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very sweet, simple multicultural book. Thuy is a young girl who experiences the laughter and ridicule of other children at her own expense. She is young, sensitive and feels "different". She sees her own footprints in the snow and in her imagination becomes something more, something powerful and free. She loves her life and both of her mothers, but she is uncertain as to where she fits in. Momma Arti tells her there are many ways to be strong, and together, the three of them form their own undivided family through the exploration and mingling of their own footprints.

This is a book of self-discovery and self-acceptance. I like the innocent way the story is told and how it comes back together. I will put this in my library for children to discover.

This was a sweet book that had a meaningful message. I still felt like it was lackluster. I think the plot is muddled.

This book was darling. The artwork was beautiful and it has a heartwarming message as well as providing new knowledge about mythical creatures. Some of the dialogue didn't fit with how Thuy spoke in the beginning of the story, but that doesn't change the significance behind the message! A fun read for elementary aged children, and could be great for younger children with a little more guidance from an older reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone Editions for providing me with an ARC.

This is a gentle story that tackles the issue of bullying but does it by focusing on the positives and on finding inner strength rather than on taking revenge. The illustrations are beautiful.

I read this in conjunction with my 10 year old son. We both really enjoyed it together! He rated it a 3 star, because he wished it had more funny parts. He really enjoyed the 'snakebutt' joke and was actively involved in the story as a whole. He also favors a revenge or justice type ending, and this book was more about loving one another and familial support (which I adored). Books such as these, that show non-traditional family make-ups are so important to share with our children and should be integrated into every family bookshelf, in my opinion. A solid 4.5 star children's book that I will recommend to friends.

Follow the footsteps of a little girl as she finds creative ways to express her emotions about being bullied. A beautiful story combined with beautiful illustrations.

This is a wonderful book. It tells a tale about being bullied and wanting to be something else. The text is really good and the pictures are lovely. I really recommend it.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

I love, love, love the illustrations in this book! They is being bullied at school and deals with it by making footprints in the snow of various animals on the way home and by talking about favorite animals with her mom's. The story is definitely helped by the wonderful illustrations but the way that They is feeling because of the bullying is expressed in an honest, realistic way. A very timely diverse book that deals with bullying. I plan to add it to my school library!

This is a book that can be used by parents to facilitate talking about bullying. A little girl walks home from school and sees her footprints as different animals. Upon arriving home to her two moms, the footprints start to be come fantasy characters. The move from real to fantasy is a little abrupt. The illustrations in this are good especially when the fantasy characters are introduced.

Thuy is a Vietnamese-American little girl who is bullied and teased at school - in part because of her appearance/heritage, and also because she has two mothers instead of a mother/father parent base. On her way home from a particularly bad day at school she notices her footprints in the snow and her childhood imagination takes over and she pretends she's a variety of animals.
When she returns home, she tells her mothers about her problems at school. They don't try to solve her problems, but instead just show some love and offer to play pretend with her.
This is a pretty simple story (as a picture book ought to be) with some pretty grand themes ... LGBTQ and racial bigotry is a lot to take on in a picture book. But it's the subtlety that makes this work. The book is mostly about love (parent for child) and finding ways to escape the anger and frustration of teasing and bullying at school.
The creative imagination that Thuy goes through would be fun to recreate as adults read this out loud to children and I can imagine my children would have enjoyed multiple readings of this book.
And yet the subtlety is almost too subtle. The book is so gentle in its presentation that the issues (same-sex parenting and racism) can easily get lost. Maybe that's a good thing...? I mean there are some things we don't need to discuss outright with very young children, but having them present in a book so that it can be discussed if the child brings it up, can be quite helpful.
The artwork by Basia Tran is delightful and friendly and children will enjoy staring at each page.
One minor complaint... being of Midwestern, Anglo-Saxon descent, I didn't know the pronunciation of many of these terms and names. It's nice that there is a pronunciation guide in the back of the book, but it would have been more helpful for me to know that before I read it - very incorrectly - the first time.
Look for this book when it is released in the fall of 2019 and have it ready to read before the first snow. Your children will love making their own unique footprints in the snow after reading this.
Looking for a good book? My Footprints by Bao Phi, with art by Basia Tran, is a sweet picture book with subtle themes of racism and LGBTQ that will open the door for discussion.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is a gorgeous little children's book with an inspirational message about diversity and bullying. I really appreciated how this book discusses strength in the face of adversity, and think it's a strong messages lots of kids need to hear.

I received an electronic ARC from Capstone Publishing through NetGalley.
Thuy is bullied at school because of her race and her family. She heads home through the snow and escapes her thoughts by making different kinds of footprints in the snow. The footprints represent different parts of her longing to be accepted and her anger at being bullied. Her moms greet her and join her in the snow to play and talk about being strong and powerful together.
The illustrator captures the characters and their emotions. The animals and creatures come to life on the pages to help tell the story of strength and acceptance.
Use to talk about acceptance and celebrating who we are.

This was unbelievably sweet and so unique. I'm already gushing about it!

Plus, there is two mommies. So very lgbt+ friendly! Beautifully written and the illustrations are too notch.

My favorite part of this children's book is all the different footprints she makes with different types of animals. They even do mythological creatures near the ending when she makes footprints with both of her moms. I will definitely be getting this closer to Christmas since it's a snowy book, but it's perfect for any time (:

I received a copy of this via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest opinion.

This book's concept was very interesting and I was super excited to read this because of how intersectional and inclusive it is. While reading this, I had to keep in mind that it was intended for a very young audience. While I didn't dislike it, I didn't love it. I felt like the text was a little disjointed and could be smoother. It was an okay book and the illustrations were lovely, but it didn't knock my socks off.

*Book received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Great read! Thuy has been teased again and she feels out of place. She walks home frustrated, but once home her wise mamas see that their little girl needs their help to see how strong and powerful they are all together. Bao Phi has humor sprinkled in at just the right moments that will make children giggle with delight and it helps to lighten some of the heaviness of Thuy's problem. This book lends itself to discussions of family, standing up for yourself assertively, and the power of imagination. My first grade students wanted to learn more about the mythical creatures in My Footprints and make up their own just like Thuy.

This is a special and beautiful book! The messages about bullying, identity and acceptance are subtle yet powerful, The poetic, lyrical text fits perfectly with the gorgeous illustrations. This should be on shelves in every school and library. It is amazing to see an Asian child as the main character of such an important book. MY FOOTPRINTS will undoubtedly be an instant classic and award winner!

*thank you to Netgalley and Capstone for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.

This was a good, cute story. I really liked the illustrations, particularly the colours chosen. The story is unfortunately one that many children can identify with in some way. Either through bullying or having a family with same gender parents. I really felt the love from the mum's. It was touching and just shows just how big of an effect kindness can have on somebody.

This book was gorgeous. Gorgeously illustrated, gorgeously written. I loved the attention to detail--one noticeable thing was how gorgeous the branches were drawn in the trees. I also appreciated the author's note and the background Bao Phi gave on why he created the book and why it was important for him to share it. I was so impressed by it and cannot wait for it to come out so that I can purchase it for myself and also the little ones in my life. Thank you for the opportunity to read it in advance. It was wonderful.