Jess X. Snow created this memoir of their childhood return to China to “offer (their) six-year-old self courage and imagination.” In the author’s note, Snow describes it as a personal story about displacement, belonging, and a return to homeland and family. The theme is simple: people have the right to feel belonging wherever they are. However, Snow’s allegorical treatment of the narrative may muddle the story for younger readers.

While on a plane to China with their mother, Little Snow experiences anxiety about emigration and identity, wondering about questions many children face: What makes a place home? Who gets to say who belongs where? Outside, red-crowned cranes fly through purple and rose skies over a mountainous city. To calm Little Snow’s fears, their mother shares a story about ancestors flying across the sea as birds. The cranes then transform into amalgamated shapes, carrying humans—including Little Snow and their mother—on their backs.

Once they arrive, Little Snow and their mother reunite with Grandmother, enjoying a warm homecoming. As Little Snow realizes that both China and the United States are part of who they are, they take off into the sky to go wherever they can imagine. While the story and imagery are beautifully poetic, the connection between the crane allegory and the realistic family reunion feels disjointed, making the transitions feel clunky. Libraries looking for picture books about emigration and multicultural identity will find more cohesive titles readily available.