SHU LIN'S GRANDPA

Being the new kid isn’t easy.

Shu Lin, in her bright yellow rain boots and pink coat, arrives at school. “She didn’t speak English very well,” readers are informed. At recess, she stands at the edge of the playground despite an invite to jump rope. At lunch, stares continue as Shu Lin unpacks her lunch. Narrator Dylan, who was also the new kid once, remembers that feeling of not being at home while observing the interactions between Shu Lin and the other kids. When Shu Lin’s grandpa arrives in class one day to share his paintings, some students are skeptical. Barney, who throughout offers especially pointed remarks about Shu Lin, asks, “What’s the point if he can’t even speak English?” But Shu Lin’s grandpa’s art speaks volumes. When he leaves, the students try their hands at their own ink drawings. Here, Shu Lin opens up, showing her inexperienced classmates how to hold a brush properly and how to make smooth strokes. By the end of the school day, classmates share smiles and laughs. This is a simple narrative that leaves a quiet impression. Yu's selective use of solid colors and pattern-blocking among the sketched-drawing style brings focus to specific characters and their expressions. A gatefold of Shu Lin’s grandpa’s inky landscape painting invites readers into the classroom alongside the characters. Shu Lin and her grandfather are cued Chinese; other students, including Dylan and Barney, are depicted as light-skinned.

Empathetic but subtle storytelling.