Book Review of Bing’s Cherries
The Children’s Book Review
Bing’s Cherries
Written by Livia Blackburne
Illustrated by Julia Kuo
Ages: 4+ | 48 Pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (2026) | ISBN-13: 978-0593902813
What to Expect: Agriculture, Immigration, History, Folklore, and Family Relationships.
A father and daughter share cherries and stories, imagining the life of Ah Bing—the Chinese immigrant who cultivated the famous Bing cherry—in this beautifully illustrated tribute that blends history, folklore, and family connection.
On a summer evening, a girl and her father sit beneath their backyard cherry tree, savoring the sweet fruit and pondering the man behind its name. As the girl’s imagination takes flight, she weaves tales of Ah Bing’s long-ago journey across the ocean from China to Oregon, where he worked in orchards and eventually grew the dark, luscious Bing cherries staining her lips and hands today. Folklore is created around the very tall Ah Bing, filling the gaps in history with wonder, respect, and the kind of mythmaking that keeps cultural memory alive across generations.
Anyone who has ever devoured fresh cherries will be swept up in the stained lips and hands, the sticky sweetness, and the contemplative summer evenings this book evokes through the grounded sensory moments: “At night, after I’ve washed the cherry juice off my hands, I imagine Ah Bing’s life.” Livia Blackburne’s framing device of the father-daughter conversation creates an intimate, accessible entry point while the imagined scenes of Ah Bing’s life unfold with folkloric grandeur.
Blackburne’s imaginative storytelling beautifully honors a man who contributed to American agriculture, yet whose personal story remains largely unknown. While there is much that may not be known about Ah Bing, this story demonstrates with perfection how stories passed down between generations often take on mythical or folkloric embellishments that capture the mind and heart, binding us to those who came before us. The backmatter—including author and illustrator notes that discuss immigration, folklore, and what is known of the real Ah Bing, plus two cherry recipes and suggestions for further reading—extends the book’s value for educators and curious readers.
Julia Kuo’s stunning illustrations, created in Adobe Photoshop using a Cintiq tablet and stylus, achieve a look of block-print aesthetic on matte paper that feels both contemporary and timeless. She uses perspective and design brilliantly to move the story across oceans from China to America and back again, from past to present, creating visual bridges that mirror the thematic bridges Blackburne builds in the text.
Kuo’s use of a limited palette of red, blue, black, and tan is striking in its simplicity and allows her intricate patterns to mesmerize without overwhelming. These patterns do important narrative work, while also grounding readers in the natural world that connects Ah Bing’s story to the present. Side note: The endpapers of cherry blossoms, cherries, and leaves are so beautiful that they could serve as wallpaper in a trendy home.
Bing’s Cherries plants seeds of cultural pride while inviting all readers to consider whose stories get remembered, and how we honor those whose contributions deserve recognition. It’s a quiet, powerful book that works beautifully as both a family read-aloud and a classroom resource for children interested in immigration stories, Asian American history, food origins, and the power of storytelling itself.
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About the Author
Livia Blackburne is a New York Times bestselling author of novels and picture books. Her titles include I Dream of Popo, which received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Booklist; Midnight Thief, an Indies Introduce New Voices selection; and Rosemarked, A YALSA Teens Top Ten nominee. Born in Taiwan and raised in Albuquerque, she now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.
About the Illustrator
Julia Kuo is the author and illustrator of Let’s Do Everything and Nothing and Luminous: Living Things that Light Up the Night. She is the illustrator of several picture books including I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne, I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story by Martha Brockenbrough and Grace Lin, and New York Times bestselling Rise by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, and Philip Wang. Julia has created editorial illustrations for publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. She currently lives in Bellevue, WA.
