BE CAREFUL, XIAO XIN!

A boy chafes against his protective family in this bilingual tale, presented in both English and traditional Chinese.

Fang Xin’s worried parents and grandparents constantly call out “Xiao Xin!”—a phrase that translates both to “Be careful” and the nickname “Little Heart.” Fang Xin finds himself surrounded by a group of morose, amorphous creatures with glowing eyes—a strong visual metaphor for his frustrations. He notices his elders hovering over his baby sister as she attempts to take her first steps. Feeling a burst of independence, he sneaks out of the house. As his terrified caregivers search for him, flashbacks make it clear that their overprotectiveness is rooted in their own trauma. When they finally find Fang Xin, his little sister toddles toward him. His fearful caregivers hold themselves back; taking his sister’s hand, Fang Xin returns to his family, bolstered by a new inner strength. Pung’s terse prose pairs well with Ng’s detailed art, which makes dramatic use of color and perspective to convey heightened emotions. On one spread, Xin Fang looks on enviously as a white-presenting family embrace their child—a moment that might inadvertently give youngsters the impression that white families are more loving. Overall, though, many readers—especially children of immigrants—will see themselves in this empathetic story of caregivers struggling to give their little ones the freedom to make forays into independence.

A visually striking, sensitive look at a family affected by generational trauma but whose love for one another endures.