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. Stunning illustrations from Vietnamese illustrator Khoa Le bring this intergenerational tale to life.
The Most Beautiful Thing was the WOW Recommends: Book of the Month for March 2021.
- ISBN: 9781541561915
- Author: Kalia Yang, Kao
- Illustrator: Le, Khoa
- Published: 2020 , Carolrhoda Books ®
- Themes: beauty, multigenerational, Women and girls
- Descriptors: Americas, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9), United States
- No. of pages: 32