The Most Beautiful Thing

A picture book drawn from Kao Kalia Yang's childhood in St. Paul, growing up with little money and a grandmother rich in stories. Young Kalia wants braces for her crooked teeth until she comes to see her grandmother's single remaining tooth, worn down by a long, hard life, as the most beautiful thing she knows. Khoa Le's illustrations move between Minnesota winters and the remembered green of Laos, and the book earns its emotion honestly, without a wasted word. This is among the strongest entry points to Hmong stories for young children, and it works as a read-aloud at home or in a classroom. Pair it with Dia's Story Cloth for older elementary readers, and note that Lerner also publishes a Hmong-language edition of this story for families reading in both languages.