This is a lovely book inside and out. The story told from a young child's point of view, and her story is well told. She has not had to have the trials of the older generation, but she recounts them through her stories about her grandmother. The respect that her family has for her elders is obvious and touching, so nice to see in modern books. The beauty of her family is in their directness with their children. They are poor and they don't hide it from their children, and the children learn to deal with it without complaint. They are blessed with having gotten to a place where they have each other, and stability in the form of connecting with one another. .The wisdom of her grandmother in helping her understand that in life, they actually have all that they need profound. The book is beautifully illustrated, and shows the family's unity and strength better than words can express. As an immigrant myself, I was deeply moved by it.

This is a Children book about a Hmong grandmum who lived for a long time and all the life lessons and stories she bestowed on her grandkids. A short but well illustrated book, would definitely be great for kids!

A rare misfire. The Most Beautiful Thing features gorgeous artwork but the story itself could use a bit more love and care.

It's been so long since I last read a children's book that I had forgotten the magic in them.

This book is beautifully written and even more beautifully illustrated. Drawn from the author's own childhood experiences as a Hmong refugee, this lovely story follows Kalia as she comes to realize that, even though her family has little money, they have a great deal of love. And Vietnamese illustrator Khoa Le does an incredible job in bringing the story to life in the most stunning way, all the way to the back cover. Absolutely flawless.

I know my 9 year-old niece would definitely love this book.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-ARC in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.

A beautifully illustrated book reminding us of the importance of family & how the we are all beautiful. The illustrations are vibrate and stunning, a beautiful book to have in any home library & beyond that the story inside is a reminder we all can use to hear.

This is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Do not be fooled by its small size [there are only 32 pages here]; there is a lot going on here, in both text and the illustrations [which are amazing. Kudos to this awesome illustrator]. And it is simply stunning. Once you have read this, you will never forget it.

Based on the authors memories of her grandmother, this is a beautiful story of a child and her "ageless" grandmother and the stories she tells. Along with the chores the children get to do for the grandmother [who is both honored and revered in this home], which teach them patience and caring and grace, the stories she tells them of her past and her family are lessons every child should get the chance to hear.

I read this on my Kindle Fire and I was absolutely amazed at how the color of the illustrations came through. It was simply stunning. I cannot imagine how much more it would be in book form. But if you chose to get it in kindle form [to be read on the Fire or on an iPad], you will not be disappointed. This is an absolute must for children of all ages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group/Carolrhoda Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Most Beautiful Thing is the heartfelt story of a Hmong girl and her relationship with her grandmother. It's a simple and meaningful story, with the lesson that beauty is more than just what we can see. The book is beautifully illustrated with an array of colors reminiscent of traditional Hmong clothes. I would have appreciated a book such as this when I was growing up, one with a character who looks like me and shares a similar family history. I cannot wait to share this book with my nieces once it is published so they can also see themselves reflected in the books they read.

**For those who do not read Hmong or are unsure how to pronounce the Hmong words, the phonetic spelling of each at the beginning of the book is helpful.

The relationship between grandparents and grandchildren is so valuable. Reading Kalia's story was exciting and brought up the love lived with my own grandmother. In addition, the illustrations are beautiful, enriching the experience.

Yang tells the story of her childhood spent with her grandmother so beautifully, with illustrations that definitely interact well with the story. I appreciated its depiction of a multi-generation immigrant household, along with finding joy even during tough times.

Such a beautiful and heartwarming book. The first thing that caught my eye was the art! The illustrations are so so gorgeous an I'm definitely going to get a physical copy to own at some point. It is heavily based on the author's own experiences as a Hmong refugee in the United States. The culture shows through in the food they eat, the stories they tell and it's just so beautifully written and illustrated.

Kalia's family live simply with little food and no money for luxuries but there is a lot of love among the family members. They care for each other and work around the house together. This is a fantastic book to share with young children.

The story of this picture book is very raw and moving. It tells a story with a very important lesson for children, especially in this time and age, where we can easily get the idea that material things are all that matter. This would be really nice to read to young children and then have a discussion right after about the important lessons presented in this book.

I’m speechless with this book’s artworks. They’re really superb! I’m pre-ordering a physical copy of this book now because I wouldn’t want to miss its exquisiteness, and I know that this is something I would keep on re-reading.

The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang and Khae Le

This is a heartwarming, intergenerational story about a young girl and her Grandmother. Inspired by the authors childhood as a Hmong refugee, little Kalia's family have very little money. When Kalia feels sad because her parents can't afford to buy her the braces she needs, her Grandmother reminds her that beauty isn't the things you have but who you are.

We really enjoyed this story. I love the connection Kalia has with her Grandmother. It reminds me of all the days spent with my Grandad as a child, pinching his nose and laughing. I was blessed to have my Grandad visit most days as a child. This book at it's core is a celebration of family.

The Illustrations in this picture book are beautiful, detailed and vibrant. Each page is filled with magical washes of colour enriched with swirls, florals and texture. Their impact did not get lost in ebook format, as is the case for many picture books we have tried to read in this way. We will be keeping an eye out for a paper copy of this. 💙

I really like to read some children's books from time to time, so I have some knowledge and my standard are pretty high, since I know that they can be enjoyable for readers at all ages - not only the little ones. It always scares me a bit when starting this kind of book, because I feel like it may not meet my expectations and disappoint me. I felt it coming into this book too, but how surprised I was when I saw how good this book is!

Starting from the first impression that it makes when we see the absolutely AMAZING artwork and ending at the message it gives to young reader - the book is one of the best books I've ever read from this genre.

Coming into details, the illustrations were really stunning and made me absolutely feel the climate!

Then the main topic of the book - being poor and not being able to buy some things. It was really sad and shown in a very good way for kids to understand. The book teaches really much and explains things that are definitely not that common in books for young readers.

Even if the plot wasn't as good as it could, it was very short and characters were not explained it's just how the children's book are written and what makes them special I think, because under this simple cover hides a really great and important story and this is what really gets me!

The Most Beautiful Thing is a beautifully written and illustrated story centering around Kalia and her grandmother. It sheds light on what it is like growing up in an immigrant family where times are hard but through her grandmothers stories she comes to see that her life is truly beautiful.

This is a beautiful story about a young girl and her relationship with her Hmong grandmother. This book reminded me of the neighborhood where I grew up. It had many Polish immigrants and quite a few of my friends had their grandmothers or grandfathers living with them. They were taught to listen and respect them.

The illustrations in the book are vibrant and eye catching. One in particular, a picture of grandma's dream with a fearsome tiger, was particularly beautiful. "My grandma came from a time and a place where creatures lurked in the jungles waiting to chase unwary children. She told us that she once looked into the gleaming eyes of atiger and felt its hot breath on her face."

I think that it would be wonderful if children all had an elder relative who could share stories from a different time. It makes the world we live in feel a lot different. The children realize how much they have in terms of food, housing, etc. that wasn't always available to an older generation. This little girl decided that her grandmother's smile was "The Most Beautiful Thing".

A wonderful story beautifully illustrated. I can highly recommend this book for ages probably 5 and up. This book is set to publish on October 6, 2020.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley..

Will post to Amazon upon publication

The first thing I definitely noticed is the illustration. The illustrations inside the book somehow show me a glimpse of the Hmong culture. The story moved me. While the story shows us a slice of life of refugees in a new and unknown country, it also shows us what they value. Asian culture places importance on family ties. I grew up very close with my family, especially my grandmother. I also grew up economically challenged so I understand the main character.

The target audience are children. I think it is a good introduction to "adult" concepts such as diversity and refugees. For those who identify with the story, it is a good thing because it gives them a validation of their existence. For others who do not share the same culture and background, it gives them a way to see the world outside of their own experience.

Thank you Netgalley and Lerner Publishing Group for allowing me to read this ARC for an honest review.

Young Kalia and her extended family have escaped Laos and live in the United States. Kalia and her siblings share the care for their very, very old grandmother. As Kalia grows, she starts to want what other children have. Things her poor refugee family can’t afford.

Through her relationship with her grandmother, she comes to understand the true meaning of the most beautiful thing—familial love and sacrifice.

This beautiful own-voices story could be read-aloud to younger children or read alone by older children. It makes the perfect springboard for talking about cultural differences, values, and families. The illustrations help convey the richness and simplicity of the most beautiful thing.

While reading the book aloud or discussing it with children, adults should take care to not show disdain for cultural differences (the grandmother’s tooth, her cracked feet, or other cultural differences). To do so would be to ignore the lessons we can learn from people who aren’t just like us. They have much to teach us.

This was a beautiful story with gorgeous illustrations. Kalia is unhappy that her family cannot afford things like braces, but her grandmother's stories of being a Hmong refugee make her realize that her life is pretty good.

Such a wholesome and heart touching story. It's for kids, yes, but I wish everyone would read this no matter what their age is because of the lesson it teaches us (of self acceptance). It have beautiful and colourful illustrations that an art enthusiast like me could stare at forever!! It takes 15 minutes to read this even if you do it slowly but something everyone should!

This story reminded me of my Grandma (May her soul RIP). I have a very vivid memory of her, how I used to brush her white hair with The wooden comb & the way she gets all sleepy while I was doing so. Her gift -a bag- I am still using reminds me of her every day.
This book describes a girl and her relationship with her grandma. It was so delicate, comforting, eloquent, and the color palette is so soothing too. I recommend it for children who never got the chance to meet their grandmas & for people who miss theirs.
For me it was good but not wow.