Yuriko, who is staying with her father for the weekend, comes home upset after the kids in art class make fun of her name. She decides she wants to be called Michelle from now on, which her father humors with judicious stoicism. Over the next couple of days he takes her to her favorite restaurant for sushi, through the Japanese Garden in Golden Gate Park, and to an ink-painting demonstration, but things turn sour again when they visit the Golden Gate Bridge ich is supposed to be the subject of a class art project d find it shrouded in fog. One stroke of ingenuity on Yuriko's part later, however, and things are set right again. Say's artwork, rendered in pen and ink and watercolors, is as classy as ever. Although the little girl stars in every illustration, this clearly autobiographical book is very much from the father's point of view. Still, the genuine warmth and nontrivializing look at childhood troubles should endear this to a young audience. And the emphasis on celebrating one's culture while finding common ground with others is universally handy.

When an episode of teasing makes Yuriko doubt herself--her name, her heritage, her interests--her father gently guides her back to her roots and herself. For a school assignment, Yuriko brings in a photograph of herself in a cherished kimono. When she comes home, her excitement has changed to despondence. Her classmates laughed and told her that Japanese dolls have black hair, while Yuriko is blonde. Then the new art teacher mispronounces her name and assigns a subject Yuriko has depicted in art before. In response, Yuriko impetuously declares she should now be called Michelle, and Michelle does not like art. Her father listens carefully and cleverly takes Yuriko to revisit the things she loves: her favorite restaurant for sushi and the Japanese Garden in Golden Gate Park. Illustrated with spare, clean watercolors, there is subtlety in this tale that's told almost completely through the dialogue between father and daughter. Some will identify with the cultural details that ground the tale; all will relate to how teasing makes Yuriko feel uncertain about the very things that make her unique. Yuriko does some critical and creative thinking about her identity and her art, proving herself her father's original--and favorite--daughter. This is as much a story about cultural pride as it about self-esteem and problem-solving, from which all can draw a lesson. (Picture book. 5-8)

K-Gr 2 Whereas Drawing from Memory (Scholastic, 2011) revealed a slice of Say's youth, this title is seen through the lens of fatherhood, although the narrator is omniscient. As the story opens, "Yuriko came to stay with her father on Thursday that week." Readers follow the flaxen-haired child through homework assignments that involve bringing a baby picture to school and, later, creating a model of the Golden Gate Bridge. A photograph of Yuriko clad in a red, flowered kimono becomes a source of confusion for her classmates, who associate Japanese appearance with dark hair. When the art teacher mispronounces her name, and the students follow suit, her day goes from bad to worse; miserable, she seeks a new identity upon arriving home. Father and daughter visit a familiar sushi restaurant, Golden Gate Park, and the bridge (shrouded in fog), all of which help the troubled girl process her feelings and inspire a unique response to the art project. Their banter pits paternal teasing mixed with loving support against childlike swings between melodrama and earnestness. Say's command of watercolor, ink, and pencil develops the visual narrative through a combination of uncluttered interiors; peaceful, restorative gardens; and emotionally complex portraits. The concluding photograph of Yuriko as a young woman in Japan (also wearing a kimono) conveys an acceptance and pride regarding her heritage and adds impact to the message. A sensitive addition to the canon of picture books about children coming to terms with being "different." Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

Yuriko's classmates make fun of her (biracial, she's blond with Asian features). When her art teacher assigns yet another project on the Golden Gate Bridge, Yuriko wants to do something special. Her father uses her desire to be unique to show that her differences set her apart in a good way. Filled with light, the realistic illustrations reflect the upbeat mood.