Gracey Zhang<\/a>In 2025, she won the Calde\u00adcott Hon\u00ador for *Noo\u00addles on a Bicy\u00adcle*, and her debut illus\u00adtrat\u00aded book, *Lala\u2019s Words*, also won the Ezra Jack Keats Award for Best New Artist. In this new book, we encounter a lit\u00adtle girl expe\u00adri\u00adenc\u00ading a move and her car\u00ading father. The sto\u00adry, with its del\u00adi\u00adcate and gen\u00adtle text and illus\u00adtra\u00adtions, presents an imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive \u201cjour\u00adney home\u201d that takes place indoors, show\u00adcas\u00ading the unique and heal\u00ading mag\u00adic of love and imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion.<\/p>\nThe sto\u00adry begins sim\u00adply: on the first day of mov\u00ading, the father pre\u00adpares a choco\u00adlate cake for the new home and tells his daugh\u00adter that she can make three wish\u00ades for any\u00adthing. The girl first asks for a rain\u00adbow, then wish\u00ades for the world\u2019s largest piz\u00adza, and also hopes that \u201ctoday is not Thurs\u00adday\u201d\u2026 These wish\u00ades seem child\u00adish, but behind them lies the child\u2019s effort to rebuild a sense of security\u2014in the emp\u00adty, unfa\u00admil\u00adiar apart\u00adment, hav\u00ading a rain\u00adbow that belongs to her is clear\u00adly more effec\u00adtive than any ver\u00adbal com\u00adfort.<\/p>\n
\u200b<\/p>\nHow\u00adev\u00ader, beneath this seem\u00ading\u00adly light\u00adheart\u00aded wish, the girl har\u00adbored a deep\u00ader, unspo\u00adken long\u00ading: to return to her old home, the old apart\u00adment with its large blue bath\u00adtub and the pleas\u00adant\u00adly scent\u00aded clos\u00adet. When she was awak\u00adened in the mid\u00addle of the night by the sirens of fire trucks, she final\u00adly mus\u00adtered the courage to express her desire to \u201cgo home.\u201d Her father did\u00adn\u2019t shy away; instead, he respond\u00aded with wis\u00addom and ten\u00adder\u00adness: \u201cThe train home is about to depart!\u201d So, he car\u00adried his daugh\u00adter, walk\u00ading around their new home again and again, com\u00adplet\u00ading an emo\u00adtion\u00adal jour\u00adney inter\u00adwo\u00adven with imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion and real\u00adi\u00adty.<\/p>\n
This seem\u00ading\u00adly sim\u00adple imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive game con\u00adceals a del\u00adi\u00adcate emo\u00adtion\u00adal exchange between par\u00adent and child and immense heal\u00ading pow\u00ader. This is pre\u00adcise\u00adly the theme Rebec\u00adca Stei\u00adder has con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly pur\u00adsued in her work: how to find \u201chome\u201d amidst change, and how to tran\u00adscend the lim\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions and pain of real\u00adi\u00adty with gen\u00aduine emo\u00adtion and imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion.<\/p>\n
\u200b<\/p>\nActu\u00adal\u00adly, when I first read this book, I inex\u00adplic\u00ada\u00adbly felt a unique bit\u00adter\u00adness and help\u00adless\u00adness. I expe\u00adri\u00adenced mov\u00ading more than ten times as a child, and I know how dif\u00adfi\u00adcult it is to adapt to a new life in a new place. For\u00adtu\u00adnate\u00adly, in most of those moves, the whole fam\u00adi\u00adly was involved, and there was a joy\u00adful side to explor\u00ading the new home togeth\u00ader. But in *Any\u00adthing Will Do*, only the father and daugh\u00adter are there\u2014where is the moth\u00ader? Is any\u00adone still liv\u00ading in the old house with the big blue bath\u00adtub? Why are the father and daugh\u00adter mov\u00ading to the new apart\u00adment?\u2026 When the lit\u00adtle girl says, \u201cI want to go home,\u201d I inex\u00adplic\u00ada\u00adbly thought of the clas\u00adsic film *Kramer vs. Kramer*, where the lit\u00adtle boy asks his father (Dustin Hoff\u00adman), \u201cWhere will my bed be? Where will my toys be?\u201d\u2026 I also could\u00adn\u2019t help but think of Sid\u00adney Smith\u2019s new book, *Do You Remem\u00adber?*, which also recounts his expe\u00adri\u00adence of mov\u00ading with his moth\u00ader when he was eight years old. Both of the lat\u00adter sto\u00adries point to divorced and bro\u00adken fam\u00adi\u00adlies.<\/p>\n
\u200b<\/p>\nAs it turns out, I was\u00adn\u2019t over\u00adthink\u00ading it. In her cre\u00adative inter\u00adview, Rebec\u00adca frankly admit\u00adted that the idea for this sto\u00adry came from her own upbring\u00ading. Rebec\u00adca\u00ad\u2019s par\u00adents did indeed divorce when she was young. Her moth\u00ader stayed in their orig\u00adi\u00adnal apart\u00adment, while her father moved out with her, and they con\u00adtin\u00adued to move sev\u00ader\u00adal times after\u00adward. How\u00adev\u00ader, both par\u00adents deeply loved Rebec\u00adca and agreed to share the respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of car\u00ading for their daugh\u00adter\u2019s upbring\u00ading as much as pos\u00adsi\u00adble. There\u00adfore, her father\u2019s new apart\u00adments were always not far from her moth\u00ader\u2019s, gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly with\u00adin walk\u00ading dis\u00adtance, and Rebec\u00adca often trav\u00adeled between the two.<\/p>\n
As a writer born and raised in New York City, her debut nov\u00adel, *First Light*, and her first pic\u00adture book, *Any\u00adthing Will Do*, were writ\u00adten around the same time. While the two sto\u00adries dif\u00adfer in form, their core themes are quite sim\u00adi\u00adlar: both are about how grow\u00ading chil\u00addren find emo\u00adtion\u00adal sup\u00adport and secu\u00adri\u00adty amidst change and uncer\u00adtain\u00adty. Her sec\u00adond nov\u00adel, *The Mys\u00adte\u00adri\u00adous Let\u00adter*, which won her the New\u00adbery Medal, fea\u00adtures Miran\u00adda, a sixth-grade girl grow\u00ading up in a sin\u00adgle-par\u00adent fam\u00adi\u00adly. Through the nar\u00adra\u00adtive device of \u201ctime trav\u00adel,\u201d and draw\u00ading par\u00adal\u00adlels to Miran\u00adda\u2019s (and Rebec\u00adca\u00ad\u2019s) favorite clas\u00adsic, *A Wrin\u00adkle in Time*, she seems to be express\u00ading a long\u00ading for a com\u00adplete fam\u00adi\u00adly. The con\u00adcept of \u201chome\u201d takes on a more sym\u00adbol\u00adic mean\u00ading through this expe\u00adri\u00adence of tra\u00advers\u00ading time and space.<\/p>\n
Nov\u00adels and pic\u00adture books are not oppos\u00ading forces in her cre\u00adative jour\u00adney, but rather two sides that reflect each oth\u00ader: nov\u00adels explore a more com\u00adplex, ratio\u00adnal, and diverse world, while pic\u00adture books touch the hearts of younger read\u00aders in a more con\u00adcise and emo\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly direct way. The wish rit\u00adu\u00adal used in \u201cAny\u00adthing Will Do\u201d demon\u00adstrates, in a way that chil\u00addren can direct\u00adly per\u00adceive, how love and imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion work togeth\u00ader to pave a smooth path for the grow\u00ading mind.<\/p>\n
Pub\u00adlished in 2007, *The First Light* includes a ded\u00adi\u00adca\u00adtion that reads: \u201cDed\u00adi\u00adcat\u00aded to my moth\u00ader, Deb\u00ado\u00adrah, whose love warmed the cold\u00adest cor\u00adners of the world; and to my father, David, the ever-stead\u00adfast guardian of faith.\u201d Judg\u00ading from Rebec\u00adca\u00ad\u2019s heart\u00adfelt ded\u00adi\u00adca\u00adtion to her par\u00adents at near\u00adly forty years old, she ful\u00adly under\u00adstands their choice, and they could per\u00adhaps serve as role mod\u00adels for divorced par\u00adents. How\u00adev\u00ader, it seems Rebec\u00adca still has some\u00adthing to say, some\u00adthing she needs to let go of.<\/p>\n
\u200b<\/p>\nBack in 2006, she had actu\u00adal\u00adly com\u00adplet\u00aded the first draft of her pic\u00adture book, *Any\u00adthing Will Do*, and was active\u00adly seek\u00ading pub\u00adli\u00adca\u00adtion oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties. Inter\u00adest\u00ading\u00adly, while she was mak\u00ading great strides in her nov\u00adel writ\u00ading career and win\u00adning numer\u00adous awards, her pic\u00adture book man\u00adu\u00adscript was repeat\u00aded\u00adly reject\u00aded. She must have cher\u00adished this sto\u00adry deeply; per\u00adhaps it expressed too much of her own thoughts. For near\u00adly 20 years, she con\u00adtin\u00adued to pol\u00adish it and seek pub\u00adli\u00adca\u00adtion oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties. Until one day, a wise edi\u00adtor she met gave her a very insight\u00adful sug\u00adges\u00adtion:Although it\u2019s a very touch\u00ading sto\u00adry, it touch\u00ades on two things: a child mov\u00ading and par\u00adents divorc\u00ading. Per\u00adhaps we could choose to focus on just one of them? Great pic\u00adture books often only tell one sto\u00adry, right?<\/strong>\u2014Rebec\u00adca felt enlight\u00adened and deci\u00adsive\u00adly chose the for\u00admer, allow\u00ading more poten\u00adtial young read\u00aders to find con\u00adnec\u00adtions with their own expe\u00adri\u00adences in the sto\u00adry.<\/p>\n\u200b<\/p>\nRebec\u00adca Stead<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWith the edi\u00adtor\u2019s help, Rebec\u00adca was for\u00adtu\u00adnate enough to meet the per\u00adfect visu\u00adal col\u00adlab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtor for this story\u2014Canadian-Chinese illus\u00adtra\u00adtor Zhang Yiy\u00ading. Zhang Yiy\u00ading\u2019s skill\u00adful and flex\u00adi\u00adble use of col\u00ador leaves a deep impres\u00adsion. In her rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtive work, *Lala\u2019s Lan\u00adguage Mag\u00adic*, she suc\u00adcess\u00adful\u00adly show\u00adcased the vibrant and imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive world of the lit\u00adtle girl Lala, and del\u00adi\u00adcate\u00adly por\u00adtrayed the com\u00adplex and sub\u00adtle bond between Lala and her moth\u00ader. Dur\u00ading the cre\u00adation of this book, Rebec\u00adca felt that Zhang Yiy\u00ading\u2019s illus\u00adtra\u00adtions pos\u00adsessed a dream\u00adlike and mag\u00adi\u00adcal effect, while the edi\u00adtor remarked that she \u201cexcels at bring\u00ading warmth and won\u00adder to com\u00adplex and rich con\u00adcepts.\u201d As it turned out, she was indeed the best choice to illus\u00adtrate this sto\u00adry.<\/p>\n
Zhang Yiy\u00ading\u2019s illus\u00adtra\u00adtions clev\u00ader\u00adly enhance the pow\u00ader of the text in \u201cAny\u00adthing Is Fine.\u201d She uses col\u00ador vari\u00ada\u00adtions to reflect the char\u00adac\u00adters\u2019 emo\u00adtion\u00adal fluc\u00adtu\u00ada\u00adtions: when the father and child inter\u00adact hap\u00adpi\u00adly, vibrant col\u00adors are \u201csplashed\u201d across the page, cre\u00adat\u00ading a daz\u00adzling effect; when the child feels scared or sad, the illus\u00adtra\u00adtions shift to white space, pale col\u00adors, or dark\u00ader hues, as if the col\u00adors have fad\u00aded from the page. The large areas of white space and the sim\u00adple, clear col\u00adors clear\u00adly depict the lit\u00adtle girl\u2019s emo\u00adtion\u00adal tra\u00adjec\u00adto\u00adry: from the ini\u00adtial unfa\u00admil\u00adiar\u00adi\u00adty and cold\u00adness of her new home, to the warmth and rich\u00adness she imag\u00adines, and final\u00adly to the peace and sta\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty after accept\u00ading real\u00adi\u00adty. In par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar, the grad\u00adual spread of warm col\u00adors through\u00adout the new home seems to rep\u00adre\u00adsent the process of inner secu\u00adri\u00adty being built lit\u00adtle by lit\u00adtle, direct\u00adly and emo\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly pre\u00adsent\u00ading the mean\u00ading of this jour\u00adney home.<\/p>\n
\u200b<\/p>\nThe father\u2019s cre\u00adative \u201chome train\u201d game is the most vibrant and heart\u00adwarm\u00ading high\u00adlight of the entire sto\u00adry, and it\u2019s also high\u00adly sym\u00adbol\u00adic, seem\u00ading\u00adly chal\u00adleng\u00ading or expand\u00ading the tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal def\u00adi\u00adn\u00adi\u00adtion of \u201chome.\u201d \u201cHome\u201d is more than just a phys\u00adi\u00adcal space; even a new\u00adly moved-in apart\u00adment, because of the father\u2019s love and effort, ulti\u00admate\u00adly becomes \u201chome\u201d through the infu\u00adsion of love. This isn\u2019t sim\u00adply about solv\u00ading prob\u00adlems, but about cre\u00adat\u00ading a sense of home through emo\u00adtion\u00adal con\u00adnec\u00adtion and com\u00adpan\u00adion\u00adship. \u201cHome\u201d is a source of secu\u00adri\u00adty and emo\u00adtion\u00adal sup\u00adport. Whether it\u2019s the anx\u00adi\u00adety of a new envi\u00adron\u00adment or the chal\u00adlenges of fac\u00ading life\u2019s changes, \u201chome\u201d pro\u00advides the safe foun\u00adda\u00adtion need\u00aded to cope with dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties.<\/p>\n
For Rebec\u00adca, now a moth\u00ader of two boys, despite expe\u00adri\u00adenc\u00ading numer\u00adous moves dur\u00ading her child\u00adhood, per\u00adhaps she was try\u00ading to express a spe\u00adcial under\u00adstand\u00ading of \u201chome\u201d and deep grat\u00adi\u00adtude for her con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00adate father. In the inter\u00adview, Rebec\u00adca said, \u201cMy dad and I moved many times, but he always put in a lot of effort to make each move spe\u00adcial\u2026 In real life, I did wish for a rain\u00adbow in my room. I remem\u00adber my dad actu\u00adal\u00adly did it\u2014he paint\u00aded a rain\u00adbow all over the room. At the time, I thought it was crazy and out\u00adra\u00adgeous.\u201d\u201c<\/p>\n
\u200b<\/p>\n\u201cAny\u00adthing Will Do\u201d is not just a sto\u00adry for chil\u00addren; it also evokes mem\u00ado\u00adries and emo\u00adtion\u00adal res\u00ado\u00adnance in every adult read\u00ader, remind\u00ading them of their own child\u00adhood. Every\u00adone has had sim\u00adi\u00adlar expe\u00adri\u00adences of \u201cwish\u00ades,\u201d and every\u00adone has gone through the search and strug\u00adgle for secu\u00adri\u00adty and belong\u00ading. Read\u00ading this book, adult read\u00aders may also real\u00adize that the deep\u00adest con\u00adnec\u00adtion between par\u00adents and chil\u00addren is often not about grand promis\u00ades or mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal gifts, but about the patience and sin\u00adcer\u00adi\u00adty with which par\u00adents stand by their chil\u00addren through emo\u00adtion\u00adal ups and downs.<\/p>\n
Whether for fam\u00adi\u00adlies expe\u00adri\u00adenc\u00ading a move or oth\u00ader sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant changes, or for adult read\u00aders seek\u00ading a deep\u00ader under\u00adstand\u00ading of chil\u00addren\u2019s inner world, this book offers invalu\u00adable spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal strength. It reminds us that true home\u00adcom\u00ading is not sim\u00adply arriv\u00ading at a fixed loca\u00adtion, but rather achiev\u00ading rec\u00adon\u00adcil\u00adi\u00ada\u00adtion between the inner self and reality\u2014a rec\u00adon\u00adcil\u00adi\u00ada\u00adtion that requires the com\u00adbined efforts of love and imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion.<\/p>\n
Writ\u00adten by A\u2011Jia on May 25, 2025 in Bei\u00adjing<\/p>\n\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n
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