One little girl can change your life forever. In The Little Girl, a Chinese bachelor adopts an abandoned baby. He raises her, enjoying the joys and trials of fatherhood. As the girl comes of age, the father realizes that he can't take care of his daughter forever, so he arranges a marriage for her. He suffers through a deep time of loneliness but in the end is rewarded. Each vignette moves the reader through the rhythms of ordinary life: work, play, mealtime, gift-giving. When viewed over the characters' lifetime, the extraordinary comes to light and father and daughter show themselves to be heroic. Hovering nearby, usually out of sight, is the greater hero who assures children everywhere that someone is always watching over them. The Little Girl is intended for a variety of audiences. Adoptive families will find the story unique among children's books about adoption because it is set entirely in China, seamlessly affirming adoptive children without forcing upon them the anxieties that multiracial families often expect. Educators will value the depiction of everyday Chinese life. Parents will resonate with the story's poignant pictures of loss and redemption. Children will see themselves reflected in the daily adventures of the little girl. Ages 4-8.
By Phil Wong, Illustrated by Fenlin Lee, Hardcover, English, 74 Pages, 11.25" x 8.75"
