Sharon can hardly believe the news. Di Di, her two—year—old brother, is being taken to China to spend a year with their grandparents. Why can't he go to day care, or be watched by a ba
Sharon can hardly believe the news. Di Di, her two—year—old brother, is being taken to China to spend a year with their grandparents. Why can't he go to day care, or be watched by a babysitter when Mama goes back to work? Sharon wonders. But her parents say it is better for relatives to take care of little children.
After Di Di first leaves, Sharon and her younger sister, Mary, pore over the photographs their grandma sends, trying to keep their little brother fresh in their minds. As the year passes, the girls become involved with school, friends, and hobbies. They think of Di Di less often. Then one day he is home again, and it feels as if a stranger has entered their lives. The children struggle to sort out their mixed emotions but soon discover that the bonds among siblings hold strong.
This reassuring story is a gentle tribute to the enduring love of family, even when it is tested by a difficult choice.
ANDREA CHENG has written several picture books as well as middle grade and young adult novels. She hopes Only One Year will help readers understand the role different cultural customs play in the ways loving families raise their children. Cheng lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
NICOLE WONG's illustrations have appeared in magazines and in children's educational and trade books. Wong was drawn to the story in Only One Year because it presented a Chinese American experience that was different from her own. She lives in Fall River, Massachusetts.
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