A gorgeously illustrated and told story of the value of gratitude and love in this chaotic world. A must use for kindergarten instructors.

It tells the story of a Hmong-American family, focusing on the relationship between the aging grandma and her granddaughter. Kalia's and the grandmother's story are the story of every granddaughter and grandmother of the world; the love that multiplies down the generational link. Makes you miss your grandma, and reminiscence about all the good moments.

This intergenerational story is simple, yet deep and the illustrations add to that depth. In a natural way is presented the hard life of an economically struggling family, and the ways parents and children make do with little while so many take things for granted.

It has a poetic tone to it, and for some reason I read it in a sing-song rhythm. It's a good starting point to have conversations with children about refugees and immigrants.

I think it'd be suitable for a child aged 6-9 because of the serious and mature content.

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING is a gorgeously illustrated,  intergenerational, story about a Hmong-American family who left their ancestral homeland in hopes of a better life.

The story is told from a young girl's point of view. Her family home includes her parents, her siblings and her grandmother.

As the child gets older, she will occasionally ask for something expensive from her parents. However, despite the fact that they worked hard, there was no money left over for extras. Her Grandmother is always around and tells stories of her own childhood and the hardships she faced. Obviously, the grandmother's situation was much more dire than that of the narrator.

The author has perfectly captured the aging of both the young girl and her grandmother. She also conveys the child's emotional intelligence and her maturity levels with perfect ease.

The illustrations in this book are nothing short of brilliant. In fact, I would love it if the artist offered prints of each of her layouts. I, for one, would 100% purchase them.

I felt the ending could have been better explained. However, please DO NOT let this deter you from buying this book. We need more books from diverse and multicultural authors. It is imperative that children have access to books they can personally relate to. Also, children from other cultures should be exposed at a young age to books from diverse backgrounds.

Books such as THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING are important in a multitude of ways. I am rating this book as 5 out of 5 Stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A wonderfully illustrated sweet story. It shows how important family is and not to take what we have for granted! This is a great bed time story! Very great book!

"The Most Beautiful Thing" weaves together the stories of several generations of a Hmong immigrant family, particularly focusing on the bond between the author and her beloved grandmother. Without dwelling too much on them, the story touches on issues such as poverty and immigration, and can be used as a good starting point to discuss these issues with young readers.

Khoa Le's illustrations are, as always, absolutely gorgeous and really bring the story to a new level.

The Most Beautiful thing is lovingly illustrated and very touching - a children's picture book that looks at the relationship between a young Hmong girl and her aging grandmother, highlighting resilience of refugees and the beauty that can be found even in hardship. I like my kids books with a little more overt activism - but the way that this book includes a family experiencing poverty is a good jumping point for discussions with little readers about assumptions we make about people when not everyone has access to the same things (but how they should!). That being said, this story underscores the values of inclusion and collectivism and provides representation for southeast asian girls, a beautiful example that their stories matter. I love that it incorporated Hmong words and language throughout - it provides an excellent opportunity for parents and children to learn new words and practice the pronunciation. I would love to pick this up for my niece!

Sometimes i am reminded of the most valuable lessons of life through children's book; and this was definitely one of those books.
I fell in love with the illustration, and the cover art was the first thing that dragged my attention.
The connection between the little girl and her grandma, taking care of the elderly and respecting them, accepting who you are and finding peace and happiness by doing so and a lot more!
I enjoyed this book and would read this book to my future kids one day

I thought this was an adorable read
It brought back memories of my own Grandma and how I cherish all her tales and my time with her. That's what I want my grandkids to have of me.

A beautifully illustrated, sweet story showing the importance of both family, and not taking what we have for granted.
The story is simple but poignant and as someone who currently has to read lots of bed time stories, I feel this one should go down well and the illustrations are gorgeous.

Great read! This true story shows Kalia, a young girl living with her family. Although the family does not have a lot of money, they have a lot of love. Especially between Kalia and her Grandmother. The story revolves around Kalia making the best out of not having a lot, until she wants braces, and the family cannot afford them. Kalia realizes that braces will not bring her beauty, because it is the beauty inside that really matters.
My favourite thing about this book is the respect that the children have for their elderly Grandmother-I think that is an extremely special relationship to highlight. The respect for elderly people is an important message that isn't seen a lot in today's society. It is important that children understand how special these relationships can be, they shouldn't be taken for granted. The lessons we can learn about elderly people and how that is showcased in the book is awesome. The illustrations are incredible! I think this is an important story that can be read perhaps to older children, I found the language a bit more advanced. Great resource when discussing families and perhaps different financial situations.

I don’t often review children’s books, but I have to say that The Most Beautiful Thing caught my eye. The cover illustration is gorgeous and my own relationship with my grandmother fueled my desire to check this out.

The story is about a young Hmong American girl whose grandmother was a staple in her life and whom she helped care for and who helped raise her. As it should be in any culture, it is a privilege to be able to take care of one’s elders and hear their stories and history. The book talks about the tales that her grandmother told her when she would ask about the cracked soles of her feet and the little ways she changed herself or things she would do to show respect and love to her grandmother. These short tales and anecdotes mingle with reality of life of the author as a child and are emphasized by the sweeping, colorful illustrations throughout, which takes the reader on a beautiful journey. The writing is very matter of fact and gives a glimpse into the lives of the people involved.

Arguably, the overarching theme of the story is that the most important and beautiful things in life are the things we can inherit from our parents and grandparents. Not just genetically, but the stories that they pass down, the lessons that they can teach us, and the love they both give us and that they plant within us. This is an important lesson that every child should learn, especially now.