Clear and Bright

In this story about the Ching Ming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, a young girl and her Chinese-American family come together to share memories of the past over a delicious feast.

In the spring, Lily and her relatives gather for the Ching Ming Festival to honor their beloved ancestors. The day is full of joy and community, but also reverence and remembrance. As Lily zips between playing Chinese checkers with her cousin and helping her grandparents prepare a delicious meal for the family, a second narrative unfolds to reveal the sacrifices her great-great-grandpa had to make to settle in America. 

Both a tale honoring the efforts of the first Chinese American immigrants and a story of a family coming together, Clear and Bright is a celebration of Chinese heritage, cultural tradition, and the ancestral love that spans generations.★ "A touching story about a family’s celebration of Ching Ming, a Chinese festival that has been celebrated for over three thousand years. The lyrical text is amplified by the inclusion of Chinese calligraphy. Back matter includes a glossary as well as more detailed information about the history and meaning of the Ching Ming Festival and the history of American laws around the immigration of Chinese people. Striking digital illustrations have the feel of American Impressionism. An important story to add to elementary school collections."—School Library Journal, starred review

"A Chinese American family celebrates Ching Ming, a festival dedicated to honoring deceased ancestors... (a) solemn yet loving tribute to an important tradition."—Kirkus ReviewsTeresa M. Robeson is the author of award-winning Queen of Physics and Two Bicycles in Beijing. She was born in Hong Kong, raised in Vancouver, and is currently based in southern Indiana. Clear and Bright won the Silver Prize in the 2020-2021 Astra International Picture Book Writing Contest.

William Low is an award-winning landscape painter and children’s book illustrator originally from the Bronx, NY. He has illustrated many picture books, including The Sinking of the Vasa, Chinatown, and the New York Times Best Illustrated Book Old Penn Station. He also teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.