Mindy Kim Books Review

Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade

and

Mindy Kim and the Birthday Puppy

Written by Lyla Lee and Illustrated by Dung Ho

Published by Aladdin (Simon and Schuster)

Review
Lee does a spectacular job of packing heavy subjects into her early chapter books without overwhelming or underestimating her readers. Mindy Kim faces challenges such as the loss of her mother, navigating new friendships, finding her place as the only Korean-American around, and training her new rescue-puppy who seems to be carrying baggage of his own. Packaged into short chapter books with an ideal sprinkling of illustrations, Mindy's life is relatable. Lee's storytelling envelops the reader and invites him to know Mindy better, while Ho's illustrations break up the text and allow young readers a respite from any strain of reading without losing the thread of the story. The storylines in both Parade and Puppy have tension, like when Mindy and Sally are lost in a parade-watching crowd, and emotion, like when Mindy draws a family portrait of herself, her dad, and their new puppy, prompting her dad to recognize that they are happy together despite losing her mother. T and I both enjoy them – they have something to offer regardless of the reader's age.

I like reading the Mindy Kim books with T. They are interesting stories that hold my new reader's attention. T can fluently read portions of them himself (a whole chapter is too daunting at present, but a page is comfortably manageable). And finally, Mindy's experiences broaden his own understanding of the world. She navigates her real-world problems in reasonable and *mostly* healthy ways, and she learns from her mistakes. There is depth to her character, and T has been able to identify with her at different points in the series. In our latest read, Mindy describes her rescue puppy's drive to their home and subsequent first night; T likened it to our rescue kitten's experience and talked about the same things were happening to Mindy and him. When Mindy and Sally got separated from Mindy's dad at the Lunar New Year Parade, we talked about when I'd lost him and what to do if he becomes separated from his adult ever again. And of course, with the first book, we had many opportunities to chat about friendship dilemmas and racism.

The Mindy Kim series is one I recommend and will continue to read with T.

Book 1: Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business
Book 2: Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade
Book 3: Mindy Kim and the Birthday Puppy

Note: Review copies were provided by Simon and Schuster upon request for the purpose of this honest review.