This joyful exploration of immigration and nontraditional beauty pays tribute to the unique identity formed by a girl’s Japanese roots and Hawaiian upbringing. Eyes That Kiss in the Corners meets Your Name Is a Song.
From the shores of Japan to the coast of Hawai‘i, old customs are honored, new traditions blossom, and an exuberant narrator defies narrow beauty standards to embrace the skin she’s in and her life on the island of Kaua‘i. Triumphant text and radiant artwork encourage readers to challenge expectations and celebrate how identity and experience find their perfect expression in each of us.
Chloe Ito Ward is a Japanese American author and former kindergarten teacher and curriculum director. She splits her time between Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, and the Pacific Northwest.
Gael Abary is the Filipino American illustrator of If You Want to Ride a Horse, by Amy Novesky. She lives in O‘ahu, Hawai‘i.
