Chinese Eyes by Marjorie Waybill |
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"Becky is a Korean child who has been adopted by a white American family. She’s usually happy; she has two good friends—Laura, a black girl, and Stuart, a white boy. But one day in the school cafeteria, Becky is called ‘Chinese Eyes’ and has a rough afternoon. Later at home, she helps her mother in the garden and is moved to tell of her distress. Mother smiles and suggests that those who said Becky’s eyes were Chinese were ‘pretty close’ but persuades the child that it’s all right to have brown, slanted eyes, they see as well as round, blue ones. The illustrations are attractive; the author’s message is important." —Publishers Weekly
"An adopted Korean first grader who has been hurt by name calling learns that, although her eyes are a different shape than her American mother’s, it’s unimportant since ‘We can both see!’ School related incidents and pastel sketches enliven this simply written lesson about racial differences." —Library Journal
"Chinese Eyes is a real help to adoptive parents who are troubled about how they can help their foreign-born child understand that being different is okay. Children from four to ten will be fascinated by this story." —Holt Adoption Program Newsletter
About the Author
Marjorie Waybill is an editor and writer who lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia. For 22 years she worked at the Mennonite Publishing House, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, where she edited Story Friends, a magazine for children ages 4-8.