A young girl bonds with her Hmong grandmother while chafing against the realities of a large family with little money. This beautiful story features colorfully-detailed illustrations of their everyday life and the grandmother's memories of her homeland, Laos. When the things Kalia wants are too expensive, she finds ways to achieve happiness on a smaller scale.

Beautiful illustrations bring this simple story of hardship to life. An interesting look into an inter-generational family experience and a young girl learning how to deal with having less and still find goodness in what she has and who she is.

The Most Beautiful Thing // by Kao Kalia Yang // illustrated by Khoa Le

I really enjoyed reading this book! It introduces a way of life that may not be familiar to some of our children in a way that is easy to understand but rather than focusing on all the things missing in the family's life, it focuses on the things they do have, showing us that gratitude can completely change our attitudes and emotions. The illustrations are some of the most beautiful children's books illustrations that I have seen. You could take all the text away and still have a treasure on your shelf. The only thing I wish it had was maybe one more page at the end to vocalize the lesson of gratitude a little more obviously for children that may be reading this book on their own.

Lovely. The story follows a pretty clear basic structure, but it still works. It’s the art (!!!) and love and representation that makes this really sing. It shines through and that’s what counts.

I can see this being used in a classroom in so many ways— reflecting on an elder we love who made us who we are (I choose this framing and not ‘family history project’ to be most inclusive for all of our wonderfully diverse kiddos and their fams), body image/ presentation of self lessons, or a reflective prompt like—whats a thing we used to want but have learned something from not having it? Etc. So many beautiful prompts and pieces could come from this book. Of course, integrating geography and vocabulary (Hmong communities and words like refugee) would be important and useful, too. For all these reasons and more this book is a classroom win.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A moving story, stunningly illustrated. Here is an important book, which will help young children understand the hardships of an immigrant family and what is truly important in life. Some may be put off at the grandmother’s very brief mention of evil spirits in the forest. Making do with little, honoring and caring for the aged, the importance of family—these are themes in the book.

What a beautiful biography and so exquisitely illustrated! Kao Kalia Yang tells the story of her grandmother's and her own childhood through the heartfelt narrative of her book. As children, she had very little and her grandmother even less, but here she reveals that the most beautiful thing in life is priceless and could be right in front of your eyes. A sweet picture book memoir with elements of Hmong culture interwoven throughout.

"Drawn from author Kao Kalia Yang's childhood experiences as a Hmong refugee, this moving picture book portrays a family with a great deal of love and little money. Weaving together Kalia's story with that of her beloved grandmother, the book moves from the jungles of Laos to the family's early years in the United States. When Kalia becomes unhappy about having to do without and decides she wants braces to improve her smile, it is her grandmother—a woman who has just one tooth in her mouth—who helps her see that true beauty is found with those we love most."⠀
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This intergenerational story is truly beautiful.⠀
We discover how a Hmong family live and how important family is and should be. ⠀
As a son of refugees, this beautiful story about a granma and one of her granddaughter touches a chord and I wish I could read more stories like this. ⠀
Family is very important for asian people and taking care of our elders has been important in asian traditions and cultures, but things are changing and those traditons tend to get lost these days with the new generations...⠀
I really recommand this lovely story: our elders surely have a complicated life and for those of you whose parents or grandparents weren't originate from the country you live right now, I suggest you take an afternoon to meet and ask them about their stories before it get lost forever.
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Beautiful illustrations by the talented vietnamese artist Khoa Le.⠀
Thank you Netgalley and Carolrhodabooks for sending me this amazing arc book.

Review by @theboyandhisbookshelf

Wonderful and beautiful illustrations. Heartwrenching story. But very inspiring for younger readers.

What a beautifully illustrated and written children’s book about the respect due to our elders, the value in listening to their stories, and the acceptance of ourselves we can find by listening to others. Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy, I look forward to adding this to my children’s collection.

(Book Pub Date: 06 Oct 2020 #TheMostBeauitfulThing #NetGalley)

"Her smile was the most beautiful thing."

This book feels like a warm hug from my grandmother. It's such a beautiful tale about a young girl from a Hmong-American family and her grandmother. The story is heartwarming and very relatable to fellow Asian diaspora like me. It reminds me of my own grandmother and the stories she used to tell me when I was a child, about her days in the Hainan jungle and the dangers she faced when she escaped from her homeland. The illustration is gorgeous, and it enhanced what the author is trying to convey. Even though technically it's a children's book, I highly recommend this to anyone who longs to rediscover the simple joy and comfort of being with your loved ones.

Tell me, what do you consider being the most beautiful thing?
Is it a palace, an expensive car or maybe a diamond ring?
Kao Kalia Yang shows us that beauty's got nothing to do with what's mentionned above
That it's no matter of money, but simply of being surrounded by family, memories and love

Based on a true story
In this picture book Kao Kalia Yang tells us about her childhood during which there was not much money but an abundance of love.Along with her grandmother - who had to flee Laos as a Hmong refugee - she forms the protagonist of this true life story.

Themes
Although it's commendable that important topics like poverty, Hmong-refugees, … are covered, this has both an up- and a downside.
Because of the large number of topics, none of the themes is discussed in depth. Although that isn't necessary for a children's book, it sometimes results in a lack of background information.
The serious themes are portrayed lifelike, but because of this they may not always be suitable for a younger target group. At least not without the guidance of an adult to provide further clarification.
On the other hand, this book forms a good starter to discover another (and for many people probably an unknown) culture. Especially when a parent or teacher guides the reading.

Hmong
A lot of Hmong-names are used throughout 'The Most Beautiful Thing'. Do you want to know the correct pronuncation? Head over to the following video where Kao Kalia Yang tells it herself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJW_fHjT9IE">this
For those who are not familiar with the Hmong-people, there are lots of interesting resources on the internet:
- https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/03/01/10-things-hmong
- https://ethnomed.org/culture/hmong/
- https://www.mnhs.org/hmong/hmong-timeline
- …

Kao Kalia Yang
If you're interested in the story of Kao Kalia Yang and her family, then it's highly recommended to listen to her TED-talk 'The Power in Sharing our Stories': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0KdPwMNbOA!

Khoa Le
Do you want a taste of the drawing style of the illustrator of this book?
She has a website where you can find her portfolio: http://khoale.daportfolio.com/
Be sure to take a look at the section 'picture book' because those pictures really demonstrate her talent for vibrant colour creations: http://khoale.daportfolio.com/gallery/453710

*Disclaimer: Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Hmong (pronounced mohng) are an ethnic minority from Southeast Asia that, stating in 1975, came to the United states as refugees of war. This really short graphic novel is about the author’s childhood experience as a refugee. First of all, thank you Khoa Le for the amazing illustrations. They are absolutely stunning and made the story so much better; it added a touch of magic and exoticness. Another thank you to the author for the explanation about how to pronounce the names and what they mean at the beginning of the book, it was very useful. The story is quite nice and I wouldn’t just categorise it as a children’s book. I think everyone can learn a bit from it, from the love it shows. The only negative point is that the ending could have been better, more developed as it felt a bit like an abrupt ending. However, do not let this prevent you from reading this book as it allows you to discover the Hmong minority (that I personally did not know about) and therefore, to diverse your reading. Also, the illustrations: it’s impossible not to love them.

I had to add one more gorgeous children’s book to my reviews for today. This book will be published October 6th, and it deserves a look if you are looking for a way to capture all the wisdom that our elders can pass on to our children. This is an #ownvoices book, written by a Hmong author recalling the stories told to her by her grandmother. What I really loved was how she expressed her desire as a child to care for her grandmother, how it was a privilege to wash and care for her feet. She writes: “I can see the bottoms of her feet, thick and brown and broken, deep cracks filled with dirt from long ago and far away.” This was such a beautiful sentiment to read, and the rest of the story follows suit. The illustrations are fresh and unique, with glorious colors.
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Thank you @netgalley and @lernerbooks for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. It was such a privilege.

The central theme of this book is inter-generational relationships woven into a poignant story and provide rich cultural context.. The book begins with the sentence: My #grandmother is so old, nobody knows how old she is. The tender tale of caring for the elder at home and celebrating her presence in every aspect of life forms the central theme of this book. Every grandchild got to serve her in some way to attend to her comfort. The only sentence grandma speaks in the book leads to a powerful transformation of the narrator. A book with depth and experience of living with the an elderly person from east Asia.

#ownvoice #netgalley #fiction #AsianAmerican #Hmong

Lovely story, beautiful illustrations. I'm planning to read this to my 6 year old and discuss themes like aging and passing down family stories. Thank you!

This was such a beautiful, touching story that resonated with me as a daughter of Southeast Asian immigrants. The stories and the art complimented each other really well. I highly recommend this to everyone.

This is such a simple yet beautiful book. It packs so much in less than 50 pages. It took me back to my conversations with my grandma, sitting at her feet and listening to her tell stories from her youth - both normal and paranormal, spending time combing her hair, helping her bathe, how my cousins and siblings fought to be the one to be her aide.

The immediately arresting art of this book is beautiful beyond words and is as much a part of the story as the words. The artwork speaks so much with its mesmerising and intricate style. I am sure I will find myself going back to this book to study the art and consume it over and over again, finding new details each time.

This book is an OwnVoices semi-memoir from a Hmong refugee and it tells a tale of living with poverty as immigrants to the US. It is rife with Hmong heritage and culture but it exists in the small things - the oft told stories, how the festivals are celebrated, how a family exists together. It evoked the feeling of my own childhood, remembering how my grandma got smaller while I grew larger, how she never thought anything wrong with my body or personality while I fussed over them incessantly. This is a charming book which shows how Asian communities live in multigenerational families.

This is a gorgeous picture book memoir featuring the love between the author and her grandmother. Their family came to the US from Laos and is wealthy in love, but not in cash. Kalia is struggling because there are things she'd like to have, but they simply do not have the money to buy them.

Like many of Yang's books, this one is sure to touch the hearts of readers and share the beauty of family love.

Highly recommended.

This is such a beautiful and emotional picture book. I loved it.

While this is a children's book, recommended for ages 5-9, as an adult I enjoyed this picture book a lot. The illustrations are gorgeous and the story touched my heart. The story is that of a family of Hmong refugees living in the United States. It is told through the eyes of one of the daughters of the family, Kalia. The main focus of the story is the relationship between the girl and her grandmother, whose life stories always enchant the little girl.

There is so much packed into this little picture book, about appreciating life's beauty and the loved ones you have around you. The love and respect that Kalia, and the other children in the book, have for their grandmother was the most emotional aspect for me. Especially during these times that we are living in right now, when elderly people seemed to have lost their value and be considered "disposable" by some, it was beautiful reading about a little girl who considers herself lucky to be able to take care of her grandmother.

A little girl named Kalia describes her family’s financial struggles after moving to the U.S. as Hmong refugees from Laos. She wishes for new shoes and braces for her teeth, but her loving grandmother helps Kalia learn to appreciate the beauty around her. Based on the author’s personal experience, the message is one found in other books but the cultural references make this unique. The full color mixed media paintings that illustrate the book are by Vietnamese artist Khoa Le, and add cultural references including traditional Hmong clothing. There is a pronunciation guide on the copyright page for the few Hmong terms used in the story. A emotionally resonant story about being positive that is universal, but with a clear cultural setting.