The River of Caregiving

“An unnamed child of Taiwanese descent explores the reciprocal nature of caregiving. A-ma (the young narrator’s grandmother) explains that ‘the way we care for one another never stops. It connects each generation to the next and back again.’ … The protagonist tenderly examines a variety of personal relationships. Mama helps A-ma wash and get ready while remembering how A-ma dressed her as a child. The protagonist reflects on how A-gong (Grandfather) ‘picks me up from school with a smile and a snack’; the child translates for him at his doctors’ appointment. Chung explores how care can be expressed within a family… . Chung’s deceptively simple narrative brims with a joyful warmth heightened by Gonzales’s cozy artwork, textured with waves of blended colors and shapes. Chinese and Taiwanese terms are naturally integrated within the text. The recurring allusion to rivers is an inspired—and beautiful—choice, honoring the love that familial structures provide. A rare and wonderfully rendered tribute to caregiving throughout the generations.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“In a reverent intergenerational narrative, Chung and Gonzales highlight reciprocal acts that functionally support an extended family… . A water motif weaves throughout digitally finished watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations, its gently scalloped curves framing softly rendered familial interactions, and a stirring closing sequence highlights connections that endure across life and death, proximity, and age.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A beautiful and sentimental story about family love expressed through caretaking. Told through the daily actions of a multigenerational Asian family, the story will wind its way through readers’ hearts. Stunning illustrations of watercolor, gouache, and colored pencils soften the realities of growing older and needed additional support from loved ones … it will be easy for readers to picture their own family structures and those in them who may need a little more help. Heartfelt depictions of love through extended family will help young readers understand that family comes in all shapes and sizes, can be big and broad, and that all families give and receive help from each other… . Cultural nuances can be seen in this homey, loving book for read-alouds or one-on-one sharing. A wonderful book to introduce multigenerational family units, cultural norms, and caregiving.” —School Library Journal

Jocelyn Chung is an author and graphic designer. She also wrote the picture book When Love Is More than Words. She holds a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and an MA in Asian American studies and has been featured in Harvard Kennedy School’s Asian American Policy Review, USA Today, and NPR. She loves exploring the intersection of thoughtful storytelling and communicative design. When she’s not designing or writing, you can find her doodling, cafe hopping, or on a food-venture somewhere between Los Angeles and Taiwan.

Sarah Gonzales was born in Saudi Arabia and grew up in Alberta, Canada. She graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design with a bachelor of visual communication design majoring in illustration. Since then, she has worked in games, editorial, and book illustration. Sarah also illustrated Ablaze (by Jessica Lawson), among others, and is the Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning illustrator of The Only Way to Make Bread (by Cristina Quintero). She lives in Montreal, Quebec.

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