Praise for Ren's Pencil

***STARRED REVIEW***"[N]uanced...beautiful...Inspired by the author's own experiences, this book deftly incorporates both the loneliness and the eventual comfort that occur whenever one faces a change in life. Dreamlike colors and soft lines enhance the whimsical nature of the storytelling...Thoughtful in both design and presentation, this lovely picture book recognizes the challenges of moving to a new place while celebrating the joy that arrives when those obstacles are overcome."
School Library Journal

A deft combination of the quotidian and fantastical transforms immigration challenges into a healing creative journey.
Kirkus Reviews

Lu's uplifting tale about the reality-changing power of imagination...Jewel-toned pencil, watercolor, and digital images pop from saturated indigo and forest-green backgrounds that brighten as the child finds her way in this reassuring story about drawing one's own happy outcomes.
Publishers Weekly

Lu's picture book intimately explores an immigrant child's complicated feelings while honoring artistic expression and emphasizing how creativity can bring comfort even in difficult circumstances. The harmonious watercolor palette of pinks, blues, and purples whisks readers away into serene, enchanted landscapes...Share this with readers to inspire them to find a magic that speaks beyond words and be the hero in their own stories.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About the Author

Bo Lu moved from the bustling streets of Taipei to the quiet suburbs of Kansas as a little girl, knowing just three English words: Apple, Banana, and so-so. Before she could express herself in English, her drawings became the bridge between her two worlds. She now lives in San Mateo with her husband and their two daughters. Her debut book, Bao’s Doll, won an Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Honor and tells the story of a girl who, after stealing a doll, creates one that ultimately becomes the bridge connecting her and her immigrant mother.

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