Okay so I got this book because of the cover portrait which I find haunting. The little girl is beautiful, from an orphanage in China, and yet her eyes have such a sadness and an "old soul" quality to them. All the photos in this book are portraits of children in Chinese orphanages. It is sobering and breath-taking, literally, to look at these photos. They are very well done, and the eyes of these kids, their beauty and well, I am left without words at times when I glance through it. In this book you see the physical scars some kids have, you see some tears, some sad faces, and some giggling ones. Amy Tan writes the introduction of this book. Bowen, the photographer, writes, "the greatest danger institutionalized children face is being forgotten." The photos in this book will stick with you, you'll remember them, long after you shut its pages. "Mei Mei" means "little sister" in English. My hope is that this book will give these girls something to feel proud of, or some sense of connection. Proceeds from the sale of this book goes to Half-the-Sky foundation to help children in Chinese orphanages.