Reviews
From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea, by Kai Cheng Thom, Wai-Yant Li, Kai Yun Ching
thatothernigeriangirl's review against another edition
4.0
Very cute!
I wanted to hug our Miu Lan a couple of times ❤️
I wanted to hug our Miu Lan a couple of times ❤️
amybergeron's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book, but it reads quite a lot like a passion project. It combines odd elements that make it hard to recommend for any age - the sung refrain is a common element in stories for younger children, whereas the length of the book and the school scenario suggest an older reader, as one example. The metaphor of magical creatures could have been much more effective in a shorter book where the message is more subtle; children respond well to symbolic stories, and this gives caregivers the opportunity to discuss and interpret together, which is a valuable part of early literacy. Rewriting it happening at a local park could have worked very well. Overall this book was a nice idea but it feels poorly researched for the target audience, which is also not well defined. This creates a somewhat tedious, complicated story. Not Quite Narwhal and Jamie Is Jamie would be good alternatives for families who want to explore non binary themes.
emeelee's review against another edition
4.0
This sweet book is about a child who is born when both the sun and moon are in the sky, and therefore cannot decide on what to be. So, at any given moment they have feathers, a lizard tale, and tiger stripes, or perhaps a fish tale and goat's horns. Though not everyone is understanding of them, their mother assures them of her love and sings a special song to tell them so.
Things this book does great:
-The song is super cute, and I love that the mom is very vocal about loving and appreciating her child's identity, whatever it may be
-The illustrations are colorful and fun
-Uses "they" as the child's pronoun throughout
-Teaches about acceptance of differences
-Includes a couple pages about specifically gender, not just various animal parts
-At the end, the other children feel freer to explore different aspects of their identity after spending time with the indecisive child
Things that are iffy:
-Not sure that the mystical animal parts were necessary, and might make the gender fluidity come across as mystical or fantastical rather than reality
-The whole "indecisive, can't make up their mind" thing... I'm not claiming to be an authority on non-binary genders or gender fluidity, but that doesn't seem quite right? Isn't it more that they don't fit into society's constructed boxes of gender-- that, rather than not being sure which box to choose, none of the boxes apply? I could be wrong.
-There was no author's note to explain any of the themes, or help adults explore the topic with their kids after reading the book. I wish there had been some simple explanation for the use of "they," some of the different non-binary and fluid gender IDs/expressions, further reading, etc.
Still a very worthwhile read, and important representation for picture book collections.
Things this book does great:
-The song is super cute, and I love that the mom is very vocal about loving and appreciating her child's identity, whatever it may be
-The illustrations are colorful and fun
-Uses "they" as the child's pronoun throughout
-Teaches about acceptance of differences
-Includes a couple pages about specifically gender, not just various animal parts
-At the end, the other children feel freer to explore different aspects of their identity after spending time with the indecisive child
Things that are iffy:
-Not sure that the mystical animal parts were necessary, and might make the gender fluidity come across as mystical or fantastical rather than reality
-The whole "indecisive, can't make up their mind" thing... I'm not claiming to be an authority on non-binary genders or gender fluidity, but that doesn't seem quite right? Isn't it more that they don't fit into society's constructed boxes of gender-- that, rather than not being sure which box to choose, none of the boxes apply? I could be wrong.
-There was no author's note to explain any of the themes, or help adults explore the topic with their kids after reading the book. I wish there had been some simple explanation for the use of "they," some of the different non-binary and fluid gender IDs/expressions, further reading, etc.
Still a very worthwhile read, and important representation for picture book collections.
choirqueer's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this beautiful book, with its dreamy illustrations and magical shapeshifting gender-expansive protagonist. My only issue with it, as a trans person myself who identified intensely with the protagonist, was that it felt like the book centered on the protagonist's experience of sadness and isolation much more than it seemed like the story needed. Obviously these are real and important experiences, and books that focus on uncomfortable emotions are extremely important for children, but it felt like the book wasn't actually trying to be centered on that element and that the intention was for it to be a piece of the story rather than the focal point, so having so many pages devoted to that piece felt off-balance. It just felt like the message of celebrating nonbinary/genderqueer/gender-expansive identity almost got overshadowed by the message of how cruel other people can be to you when you're "different", and I would have liked to see it lean the other way. I loved getting to know the protagonist and how they experienced themself, witnessing what inner resilience and external supports they had, and especially the illustrations which really brought the story alive.
stevia333k's review against another edition
4.0
So I'm not a kid anymore so IDK whether the message hits or not. I'm not sure whether the nonbinary appreciate the shape shifting or not? Not sure whether to talk about the praxis of this book or not. (To summarize, behind every bully is a chain of adults, but this book focuses on kids & kind of acts like the kids apologize of their own will at the same time.) This is the sort of book that reminds me that I need a hug & support from other people.
I did enjoy the illustrations. They were rainbowy yet like paper cut outs. Rainbow, scales, forest, aesthetic. (I lived near a creek when I was younger.) I still need to look into any symbolism regarding that (sometimes books do that), such as the various shapes Miu Lan becomes thruout the book since the turtle porcupine & plain as possible body were obvious examples.
TLDR: this is the kind of book I needed when I was younger, but the advice seems awkward? It's good because it's anti-respectability politics (which overall lines up), but it's bad because support is like a chair requiring multiple legs & it mainly focuses on just 1. This does thankfully support the TGNC & feminist (& gender desegregating).
I did enjoy the illustrations. They were rainbowy yet like paper cut outs. Rainbow, scales, forest, aesthetic. (I lived near a creek when I was younger.) I still need to look into any symbolism regarding that (sometimes books do that), such as the various shapes Miu Lan becomes thruout the book since the turtle porcupine & plain as possible body were obvious examples.
TLDR: this is the kind of book I needed when I was younger, but the advice seems awkward? It's good because it's anti-respectability politics (which overall lines up), but it's bad because support is like a chair requiring multiple legs & it mainly focuses on just 1. This does thankfully support the TGNC & feminist (& gender desegregating).
ananyagarg's review against another edition
5.0
Such a sweet story about being different & gender - I want all educators to teach with this book!
centireads's review against another edition
5.0
I want to give this book to every parent & child. Full of unconditional love, from mother to child and from yourself TO yourself.
fell4's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Made me tear up, if I sang this to my child I would cry.