Friends are Friends, Forever, by Dane Liu is a sweet story of Dandan and her move from Northeastern China to the United States. The story traces how she says goodbye to her good friend Yueyue, sharing their Lunar New Year’s Eve tradition of making paper snowflakes, and how she introduces that tradition to her new friend, Christina, in her new home.
Second graders loved this story!
“I like the way they drew the fireworks.”
“I like that she wrote down everything she missed.”
“I like that she showed her friend the things that she used to do.”
The writing teacher in me would highlight the way the author uses all of her senses to describe the sensation of eating with her family. “Nainai’s stories chime in my ears. Garlic and ginger tickle my nose. I close my eyes to remember everything.”
This colorful picture book fits into a text set with other great “moving away” stories – like Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away by Meg Medina and The Many Colors of Harpeet Singh by Supriya Kelkar.
