Mimi Lu hates being Chinese, and she hates being teased at school about the way she smells. Living above her father's herbal medicine shop, she has absorbed the scent of his odd potions and brews. Her way of escaping is through art. When she draws she forgets the taunting of classmate Gemma and her nasty clique. When Mimi is given a magical box of pastels, she finds she is able to draw pictures so beautiful and real that people's lives are changed. On the pavements and footpaths in front of her inner-city home, she creates images of gardens and ponds, beaches and mountains. Passers-by are actually transported, for a few moments, inside the pictures to places that are at once restful, joyous and healing. But what if these magic crayons fell into the hands of a dark-hearted artist like Gemma? Asian exoticism infuses the text with spice and variety. Descriptions are fresh and poetic: `willow trees dipped their long green plaits into the lake, while lazy goldfish kissed the underside of the water looking for insects.' This debut novel from Chinese-Australian illustrator and teacher Gabrielle Wang is a gentle fantasy/adventure that also succeeds as a depiction of what it's like to grow up between cultures. Rochelle Siemienowicz is a Melbourne-based writer and reviewer.

She is also the creator of the `Bella's Books for Kids' web site.

C. 2002 Thorpe-Bowker and contributors

Tags: gabrielle wang