Tea with Milk (Rise and Shine)

by Allen Say

[nannah]

This is a beautiful children's book, written and illustrated in what I can best describe as "the old style" of children's books, where the text is on one page and a whole-page illustration takes up the other. It was published in 1999, so that makes sense!

But the story is one that is still relevant today. Masako, or "May" to her friends, grew up in San Francisco (and learned to drink her tea with milk and sugar like other Americans). But when her parents grow homesick, they move back to Japan and take Masako with her. Here, Masako is called "foreigner" and can't find a place to fit in.

Every illustration is made with such care and is gorgeously realized. Down to every detail. The pages are thick, and the combined effect just made me want to slow down and read with a lot more care, too.