The River of Caregiving

PreS-Gr 3–A beautiful and sentimental story about family love expressed through caretaking. Told through the daily actions of a multigenerational Asian family, the story will wind its way through readers’ hearts. Stunning illustrations of watercolor, gouache, and colored pencils soften the realities of growing older and needed additional support from loved ones; with a small girl with tannish skin and black hair at its center, it will be easy for readers to picture their own family structures and those in them who may need a little more help. Heartfelt depictions of love through extended family will help young readers understand that family comes in all shapes and sizes, can be big and broad, and that all families give and receive help from each other. The child narrates, calling an elderly woman her “a-ma,” a ­familial naming convention that can lead to conversations within the classroom; cultural nuances can be seen in this homey, loving book for read-alouds or one-on-one sharing. ­