Tofu Ling and the Angel uses the December multi-cultural holiday celebrations as a backdrop to tell the story of Tofu when he becomes ill with a serious illness. As you read the story, there is no mention of Tofu's exact illness and what the special medicine is that he needs. The focus was not meant to be on a specific illness, but rather on the love, support, strength, faith, and courage that families use to overcome a serious illness. As you read the stories of the children, it is my hope that you see the children for their uniqueness. The parents have not let the children's illness define who they are, instead their qualities and personalities is what defines them. The angels in the story are Lila, Lu, and all of the family and friends that provided Tofu with the strength to recover. Tofu is also an angel for enduring all that he had to in order to get well. Tofu was a source of inspiration just as Lila, Madison, and Tobias have been for their families and all who have met them. I hope that all who read this story are inspired by these angels.
The book is meant to be a read-to-me story and that is why the vocabulary is a higher level than the average children's book. I believe that it is important that a higher vocabulary be modeled for children to cultivate their literary knowledge. The size of the book was selected so that while reading the story Lynda's breathtaking illustrations surround the reader to create a full experience of beauty and literature.
Although the story can be read at one sitting, I hope that adults/parents will read the book over several days. Breaking the story down into several sittings allows children to contemplate what will happen next and learn that stories do not have to culminate in fifteen minutes. When children reach the third and fourth grade many of them struggle with the concept of chapter books. It is my hope that this will also help them to understand the concept of a theme developing over several days of reading.