The Only Child by Guojing

A little girl in China, left at home while her parents go to work, decides to visit her grandmother. While on the bus, she falls asleep and wakes up long after her stop. In this fantasy picture book, she has an adventure that takes her new places before she finds her way home.

Beautiful, subtle, black-and-white drawings tell the wordless story of this young girl’s day, ranging from love to loneliness, from fear to lighthearted fun to a family reunited. It is a strange story in the best sense of the word, full of dreamlike wonder.

Guojing explains in an author’s note that the emotions and the premise for the story are drawn from her own experience as a product of China’s one-child policy in the 80s, which resulted in what she calls “a very lonely generation of children.”

This stunning book would be great for a leisurely quiet time with a thoughtful child. Ages 5 and up. (Schwartz & Wade)