Illustration of an elderly woman and a young girl holding hands amidst colorful trees with a cityscape and a tall tower in the background, on the cover of a children's book titled 'Amah Faraway' by Margaret Chiu Greanias and illustrated by Tracy Subisak.

Written by Margaret Chiu Greanias & Illustrated by Tracy Subisak

Amah Faraway

A delightful story of a child's visit to a grandmother and home far away, and of how families connect and love across distance, language and cultures.

A 2022 Caliba Golden Poppy Award Finalist for Mirrors & Windows: Excellence in Children's Literature

A 2023 Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year Selection 

A Junior Library Guild Selection

A 2023 Crystal Kite Finalist (California)

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About this book

A delightful story of a child's visit to a grandmother and home far away, and of how families connect and love across distance, language and cultures.

Kylie is nervous about visiting her grandmother-her Amah-who lives SO FAR AWAY. In Taipei, Kylie is shy with Amah. Even though they have spent time together in video chats, those aren't the same as real life. And Kylie is at first uncomfortable with the less-familiar language, customs, culture and food. However, after she plays and splashes in the hot springs (which aren't that different from pools at home), Kylie begins to see this place through her grandmother's eyes and sees a new side of things that used to scare her. Soon, Kylie is leading her Amah back through all her favorite places and having SO MUCH FUN! And when it is time to go home, the video chats will be extra special until they can visit faraway again.

Backmatter includes author and illustrator notes and a guide to some of the places and foods explored in Taiwan.

The details

RELEASE DATE: January 25, 2022

AGES: 4-8

PAGES: 40

FORMAT: Hardcover

PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury Press

ISBN-13: 9781547607211

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Praise

  • “Margaret Chiu Greanias's inviting Amah Faraway is a heartfelt homage to her Taiwanese heritage that binds multiple generations on either side of the globe. Tracy Subisak (illustrator of Shawn Loves Sharks) elevates the familiar bicultural narrative with vivacious multimedia illustrations.”

    — Shelf Aware, starred review

  • “Subisak’s watercolor, pencil, and ink illustrations lovingly show details from Taiwanese life and culture. Ranging from multiple vignettes per page to full spreads, they possess an almost cinematic storyboard quality while supporting the mirrored narrative symmetry that has the hot spring visit as its midpoint… this is a poignantly emotional and highly relatable story for children whose grandparents or other family members might live far away, but also one that teaches universal lessons about overcoming fears of the unfamiliar.”

    — SLJ, starred review

  • "An au courant portrayal of a transnational childhood."

    — Kirkus Reviews

  • "Approachable, warmly colored doodle-style art by Subisak (Jenny Mei Is Sad)—rendered in ink, watercolor, pastel, and colored pencil—invitingly traces Kylie, her mother, and her grandmother’s time in Taipei, including its restaurants, parks, and night market, appended with speech bubbles of English and Chinese with pinyin. Encouraging openness toward new experiences amid a centering of one child’s diasporic shift in cultural perception, this contemporary tale tenderly spotlights the strengthening of an intergenerational relationship."

    — Publishers Weekly

  • “Created with ink, watercolors, pastels, and colored pencils, the illustrations offer colorful, bustling scenes set in Taipei, while sensitively depicting the characters. Both Greanias and Subisak grew up in the U.S. with grandmothers in Taiwan. A sympathetic portrayal of long-distance family ties.”

    — Booklist

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Press

Cut Fruit Collective Interview

Hearts In Taiwan Interview, Seeing Taiwan Through Our Mother’s Eyes

Reading Asiam Interview

MOCAkids Virtual Book Reading and Activity

Taiwanese American, “Amah Faraway” celebrates the joys of bravery and gathering at last

Mochi Magazine, “Amah Faraway” Bring Closer Memories of Going to Taiwan

Taiwanese American Literature for Children

Resources For Educators & Readers

Cover image of the classroom guide titled 'Amah Faraway' showing two children holding hands and walking with a school building in the background. Beneath are instructions for reading the story and activities for understanding the story with illustrations of children walking.

Teacher Guide for Grades 1 through 3

This classroom guide is designed help teachers integrate Amah Faraway into the curricula.

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Page from a teacher's guide titled "A Teacher's Guide for Grades 4-12" centered around a story called "Amah Faraway" by Margaret Chiu Greanias, illustrated by Tracy Subisak. It includes sections about the book, its thematic significance, and structure, with bullet points and questions for discussion.

Teacher Guide for Grades 4 through 12

This classroom guide is designed help teachers integrate Amah Faraway into the curricula.

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Step-by-step instructions for creating a lion dance costume using a cardboard box, scissors, glue, and coloring tools.

Lion Dance Craft

Make your own lion dance costume!

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Tracy Subisak with short dark hair smiling and holding a stack of children's books, standing on a grassy outdoor area with trees and a bridge in the background.

About Tracy

Tracy Subisak is the mixed-Taiwanese American author and illustrator of Sorry, Snail and award-winning Jenny Mei Is Sad. She has also illustrated many picture books including The Inactivity Book, written by Kyo Maclear and Amah Faraway, written by Margaret Chiu Greanias. Her books have been featured in publications such as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and PBS Books. Tracy currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her family and copious amounts of plants.

MORE ABOUT TRACY