The embossed and glossy title, plus cover illustration perfectly capture a young granddaughter’s deep love for ‘Grandmother from the East: Grandmother from the West.’ One grandmother is linked with a dragon while the second is linked with a swan—with their doting grandchild showing her abiding affection for them both. The story will resonate with children whose relatives may be culturally very different.

Young viewers will be mesmerised by the very different lives of these two grandmothers. The illustrations play an essential part here. Grandmother from the East is blessed under the protection of the Chinese dragon. She is thus strong and brave. Grandmother from the West heals those around her. Both grandmothers are loving and caring. One is a born fighter. She fought in the Second World War. The illustrations reveal her as a very protective grandmother amidst a hostile, war-torn country. The second grandmother is a natural healer. Illustrations show her nurturing injured animals back to health. Each grandmother gives special gifts to their granddaughter. One is a great teacher. The other shows her how to be brave, generous, and kind. There is much love and devotion shown between this young girl and her grandmothers. The final illustration shows the granddaughter flying through the air with both a dragon and a swan representing these two grandmothers.

This is the author’s first book for children. She was born and lived in Beijing, China until the age of 14, before migrating with her mother to live in Australia. She reveals she struggled to define her own identity . Now with a multicultural family of her own, she reveals that her identity is founded on strong values and deep family ties. She describes this book as a tribute to her heritage. ‘It also serves as a reminder for me, and for others with similar background, that we don’t need to choose to be either or, but really are the best of two worlds.’

In choosing the artistic style for the story, the illustrator, Freda Chiu, reveals , ‘I thought a textured, hand-painted look would communicate the raw love and warmth of the story. It’s also a subtle nod to the author’s and my own Chinese background, with the gestural brushwork influenced by traditional Chinese ink paintings.’ The book’s contrasting two endpapers of dragons and swans leave the reader thinking about the symbolic links between grandmothers and these creatures.

1. Cross Cultural Relations
2. Cultural Traditions
3. Empathy
4. Family
5. Friendship
6. History
7. Intolerance
8. Kindness
9. Racial Conflict
10. Relationships
11. Resilience
12. Respect
13. Social Justice
14. Social Life
15. War