Like many readers, I keep journals filled with the titles I read. But I don’t always have it with me (like at work) so I email myself the information with the Subject Line: I Read This; to mark the book later. In my odd little shorthand, I know what I read (I have a memory like Swiss Cheese some days), but it never says what I really feel about the book. Yes, I Read This book called The Little Stone Buddha by Grace Lin, but that says nothing about this amazing book.
Okay, I am biased as I enjoy reading books by Lin. But I really think this is one of the best books I have read this year (via reader copy online (like I did with this) or physical book (which I plan on getting in early October 2026). It is sweet, cute, thoughtful, and a little silly. It is strong and soft at the same time. There are some of the most pop off the page illustrations I have seen in awhile. And I have seen books that pop and are in my Top 10 Favorite Reads (so far) of 2026. These colors are bold, rich, happy, sad, in between. They are smooth, warm, and look cool to the touch all at once. They are busy, detailed with things that don’t seem important at first look, but are more than important to the overall picture.
If I have one issue with things is there is a mother who has the typical attitude of “Someone should do something about this.” The This is the trashed area a stone Buddah (seemingly magically appeared in) is going to call home. The Buddah is just laying around, smiling at all it can see. Even when the tall buildings block his view of the stars, he smiles. He smiles as a little girl walks up to him and says, “Hello.” but her mother is the above mother who tells her not to touch “trash” and “someone do something.” My first thought was, “Well, why don’t you?” Guess the little girl heard me. She picks up the statue and puts it in a spot where it can see all that is around him. Somehow, every time someone sees him, they stop and think, “Maybe I shouldn’t toss my can and pick up others; maybe I can walk four more blocks to the dump, and take other thing with us too; maybe the Buddah wants some flowers to make it less dreary, an umbrella when it rains…. And soon the area is slowly cleaned up, repainted and a community is born.
That really doesn’t spoil things. You know that something good is going to happen, and you can still enjoy reading it, because I turned around and read it a second time after finishing it. Each time I read it, I know I will find something new, feel something different and love it all the more each time. Based on the author’s experiences with a childhood read and a true event.
