Allen Say just warms my heart. Loved this story about a dad working with his daughter as she grapples with who she is, at such a young age. Just lovely. ( )

Yuriko is embarrassed when she is teased in art class about her blonde hair and Japanese name. But her father helps her learn to appreciate her biracial ancestry and to embrace her creativity

Yuriko is upset because she is getting teased as school. Yuriko does not look like the other students because she is mixed. The other students tease her because of her looks and her name. Yuriko is fed up with being teased and being upset so she tries to change her name to make her "more normal." After much debate and reassurance, Yuriko decides she loves herself the way she is and decides to stay with her name instead of changing it. Just because someone may be different, we should never judge anyone or tease anyone. Love yourself no matter what. ( )

I thought this book was good. I liked the overall lesson that the father tried to teach the daughter. In the beginning Yuriko liked who she was, she was excited to show the class her Japanese heritage. But when she came home from school the next day, she was upset because her classmates made fun of her. They called her by the wrong name, made fun of her hair color, they told her she wasn't actually Japanese. In the book, the father keeps attempting to get the daughter to love who she is. Yuriko is a people pleaser, and finally realized that she liked who she was, and she embraced her heritage. She didn't want to be Michelle and Jennifer anymore, she just wanted to be herself and that was a beautiful realization. ( )

This story is about a father helping his artistic daughter accept and appreciate her mixed japanese ethnicity. He does so with love and encouragement through her love of art and her independent spirit. ( )