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MaiStoryBook: Eyes that Kiss in the Corners + *My Eyes* Blooming Flower Craft

Introducing a gorgeous story about recognizing your own beauty on a pathway to self-love and empowerment ~ featured in the MaiStoryBook Library Collection: 

“Eyes that Kiss in the Corners” by Joanna Ho and Dung Ho

*~Click here to purchase your own copy of “Eyes that Kiss in the Corners” to start on your own reading adventure! (This is an affiliate link~ 5% of your purchase will go to MaiStoryBook to help create Reading Resources for your littles)

Book Synopsis and Review

 In this stunning book of Asian American representation, a young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her friends’. Instead of big round eyes filled with sapphire lagoons, the girl has eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea. In fact, her eyes are just like her Mother’s, her amah’s, and her little sister’s. Drawing strength from the powerful women in her life, the young girl comes to recognize her own beauty on a pathway to self-love and empowerment. Filled with references to oolong tea, baubles of lychees, Monkey Kings, warrior swords, and phoenixes, this is a book that will ignite a revolution of confidence and self-discovery.

This is a story of love and respect for family, history, and culture. And this is a story of love and pride for yourself and for everything that makes up who you are on the inside and the outside. This is the type of Asian Representation we need in children’s literature~ stories of beauty, strength, self-discovery, and confidence. The narrative is written in the most delicate prose, with metaphors and similes gliding off your tongue with the a lyrical lilt. And the illustrations are mesmerizing~ warm hues of golds and corals create a radiating glow of love, light, and beauty as you flip through the color-soaked spreads. This is a book that represents *me,* a book that I wish I had when I was younger, but am grateful to now have to read to mai own little ones one day.

Check out the Sequel: Eyes that Speak to the Stars

Vocabulary

  • sapphire (p. 1) a deep, blue, violet color
  • crescent (p. 5) the curved “c-shape” of the moon
  • serene (p. 13) calm, quiet, peaceful
  • toddles (p. 19) when a young child takes small, wobbly steps because they are learning to walk
  • revolution (p. 27) a sudden in change in who or what has power- replacing it with something better or more fair

Themes/Main Idea

  • Self-love and Confidence: We are all beautiful in our own unique way. Be proud of your heritage and culture, and know that beauty stems in part from radiating confidence.
  • Family: Draw strength and love from your family. Cherish stories from the past and build a future together with the ones you love.

YouTube Video: Guided Shared-Reading Read Aloud Example

Example of a shared-reading, interactive Read Aloud of “Eyes that Kiss in the Corners” – how to subtly introduce the vocabulary list words within the text, ask guided questions, and spark conversation!

*~Check it Out~*

Subscribe: MaiStoryBook Youtube Channel for additional read aloud videos!

*My Eyes* Flower Craft

Growing up, I would stare at the mirror and practice smiling, wishing for the whites of my eyes to show like the eyes of my friends in photographs, instead of crinkling into black arches. I would experiment~ maybe if I smiled smaller, or only smiled with my lips closed, or opened my eyelids wider… It took me awhile to learn to smile wide with confidence, and crinkle my eyes with joy.  This book, *Eyes that Kiss in the Corners,* is a book I needed as a child. Thus, this new release has mai heart, because it is one of the few books that I feel truly represents me~ a book with a character I can connect with *both culturally and physically.* Like the young girl in the book, I grew up in a multi-generational household of strong women~ raised by my Ba Ngoai and my mama, two of the most fierce and loving women I know. And I, just like the young girl in the book, have *eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea.*  I was delighted to work on this special craft, inspired by the text and artwork in the story. With these flower crafts, I want littles to have a way to share the love, family, culture and pride behind their own unique features. To help your own little learners through this journey to self-empowerment, check out the craft below!

Materials

Directions

  • Choose a ”Top Flower Flap” template. There are yellow, pink,and black and white versions with different prompts : “My Eyes,” “_____’s Eyes,”  “I have eyes that…” or “_______ has eyes that…” 
  • If you chose the option with a blank, put your name on the blank. Ex) “__Maya’s___ Eyes” 
  • If you chose the black and white version, color it in.
  • Cut the flower in half on the dotted line so that you have two piecesfor the flap. The pieces will glue onto the Bottom Flower Writing Template.
  • Next, choose a “Bottom Flower Writing Template”. There are colored versions, or black and white versions. 
  • There are also different inside-template options with 2 different fonts to choose from (slanted cursive, or more basic print for younger students).
  • Options include blank, all lines, lines and a space for pictures, writingpromptswith 2 different fonts
  • On the inside- answer the prompts or fill in your own writing and pictures. Write or draw about your eyes, why they are special, who in your family your eyes are like, etc. 
  • Cut out/color the “Bottom-Flower” template. Do not color over the “Glue” area.
  • Put Glue on the two areas that say “glue” on the writing template.
  • Then, glue on the top flaps, lining up the Top Flower parts to match the writing-area-outline.
  • Glue on the flaps, let dry, and then fold back the flaps to reveal the writing underneath in the middle of the flower.

Enjoy Your *My Eyes* Flower Craft

  • Share your Flower Craft with friends and family and share with them what makes your eyes special~ share your confidence in your own features and self-beauty
  • Share your Flower Craft with friends and family and have them share what makes their eyes special or what they love about their own features
  • Display your Flower Craft to remind you to have self-confidence and self-love for your culture and your body
  • Take turns sharing your Flower Crafts with a classmate or friend, and celebrate what makes you each unique!

*~Overall, as always, I hope you all are staying safe and healthy, and are having a wonderful beginning to the New Year! Tag me on Instagram @MaiStoryBookLibrary or FaceBook , find me on TikTok or contact me via email to share your own *My Eyes* Blooming Flower Craft and your own reading adventures! I’d love to hear from you and learn more about you!~*

*~Until next time, Happy Reading~*