Eyes That Kiss In the Corners By Joanna Ho

 

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners

Written by Joanna Ho & Illustrated by Dung Ho

A review by Janessa Brown

Synopsis:

A young asian girl appreciates her physical features by connecting them to her family and culture. Through understanding that her appearance is the same as her mother's, who looks at her brightly. Or her Amah, whose eyes can read her mind and hold many stories. Or her sister Mei Mei, who's always excited to see her and looks up to her. She finds beauty in the way she looks because she sees them in her. 

Anti-bias Elements:

Representation of a Physical Appearance: Asian eye shape is something that is celebrated in this book. Recognizing that you may not look like other people and it's ok because you resemble those who you love most. The author never made the storyline of wondering why she doesn't look a certain way or wishing to look different, just simply stating that she looks like this, and others look like that. By doing this, the author creates a world where they can co-exist without comparison or competition and just appreciation for both sides

Inclusion of Heritage & Cultural Practices: heritage, stories, and practices are all ways that the author shows a different way of living in the story. She makes sure to include references back to her culture, like “swords of warriors”, "crescent moons”, and “oolong pools”. One of the most recurring lines in the book is also “Eyes that kiss and the corners and glow like warm tea”.The author also mentions Guanyin, who is an East Asian goddess of compassion, mercy, and kindness. I believe this promotes cultural diversity, which contributes to an anti-bias perspective. Having different cultures included in books can help expose children to different ways of living and make them curious about different cultures

Authentic Representation: The author is actually Taiwanese-Chinese, like the main character, which is important for anti-bias because it can bring in a lot of factors, such as how accurately the characters are portrayed and if the cultural references shown are with respect or stereotypes.