Eyes That Speak to the Stars

Joanna Ho's second picture book is just as stunning as her first. Lots about Eyes That Speak to the Stars follows the same formula as her first book. While here the main character is an Asian American boy instead of an Asian American girl, readers are treated to similarly beautiful representations of Chinese culture, heritage, and mythology. And the central, if singular, message of how special Asian eyes are continues to be reaffirming and powerful. Perhaps especially for little Asian American children everywhere, this book is important even for featuring such an Asian American family. Asian American children can immediately pick this book up and say, "Hey, that's me!" and, "That's you, Daddy!"

However, also like the first book, a lot of the main message relies upon the idea that there is a "natural" power and beauty to having the same eyes as other family members. But this idea also can suggest that biogenetic relatedness is more "natural" or better than families whose relations are not based in biogenetic similarity (that "naturally conceived" families are somehow forever more bonded, connected, genuine, or real). Thus, this book, like its predecessor, may not be a book for alternative families or adoptive families, where kids might not share physical similarities with their family or parents. There are many children's books that do focus on how the physical differences between child and parent don't matter at all.