Bo Lu’s picture book Bao’s Doll is a moving story of empathy, forgiveness, and connection about an immigrant mother and her daughter who discover they have more in common than they ever knew.
Whenever Mama says, “when I was a little girl in Taiwan, we had nothing,” Bao stops listening. Mama does not understand Bao, and Bao certainly does not understand Mama.
So when Bao desperately wants a doll—specifically, the beautiful, blonde All-American Artist Amanda doll that everyone else has—Bao takes matters into her own hands and steals Amanda from the store. After getting caught, Bao’s chest feels heavy like a giant rock. But gradually, the awkward silence between Bao and Mama shifts to honesty, and eventually, a deeper understanding of what binds them.
Inspired by the childhood of debut talent Bo Lu, this poignant picture book brings emotional layers to the story of a parent and child learning to connect with their heritage and each other.
Praise
"An immigrant story that heals wounds present and past."
—Kirkus
"[A] deep emotionality to a resonant debut that affirms family as well as cultural heritage."
—Publishers Weekly
"Lu skillfully juxtaposes simple but poetic language with expressive digital illustrations...Her judicious use of hue and composition...creates a clear visual of the characters’ internal emotional landscapes and the evolution of their relative distance and intimacy."
—Horn Book Magazine
"[T]his poignant story offers a child-centric discussion of large issues of generational trauma and immigration that will speak to all children who have ever felt as if their caretakers don’t understand."
—School Library Journal
