  | Smiling eyes Author: Park, Linda Sue | |
| Price: $24.48 | ||
Summary:
A celebration of eyes--showcasing the variety of Asian eye shapes and hues.
| Illustrator: | Wen, Lenny |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (01/01/25)
School Library Journal (+) (00/12/24)
Booklist (02/01/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 11/04/2024 Using rhythmic, rhyming couplets-"Brown eyes/ green eyes/ hazel or blue// You can see me/ and/ I can see you!"-this upbeat narrative by Park (My Book and Me) follows an East Asian-cued protagonist from awakening to bedtime. As language expounds on the concept of perception, the child observes others’ expressions ("Smiling eyes/ bright eyes"), notes various ways of sensing the world (including using glasses and braille), and employs their "mind’s eye." Many encounters result in opportunities to initiate connection: the child helps an elder with "worried eyes" navigate stairs, and comforts a toddler with "sad eyes" who’s lost an ice cream cone. Wen (Wolfgang in the Meadow) builds an emotionally textured world around the spare narrative-richly painted in gouache and detailed in colored pencil, luminous light-soaked images evoke a child’s appreciation of a day of noticing and attuning. Characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 4-8. Author’s agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown Ltd. Illustrator’s agent: Christy Ewers, CAT Agency. (Feb.) - Copyright 2024
Booklist - 02/01/2025 Our eyes, the saying goes, are the windows to our souls. They are the stuff of songs and art—and now of this simple, powerful picture book. Smiling Eyes is a poetic tribute to the ways our eyes literally, imaginatively, and sensorily connect us to the world’s wonders. The narrative follows a boy as he wakes up and goes through his day, meeting friends and family, connecting with strangers along the way, and ending up sleepy and content back in bed. Through jaunty couplets, Park captures a wide range of ways our eyes communicate emotions and perform functions: “Eyes read / fingers read / print or braille / Mind’s eye / teeming with / pictures and tales! // Worried eyes / sad eyes / warm salt tears / Tissues and / kisses and / wishes for cheer.” Smiling Eyes could be a quick read-aloud accompanied by rich discussion or a mentor text for writing poetry about other taken-for-granted things. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
