The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story

By Thao Lam

Book Overview

A Kirkus Reviews most anticipated picture book of fall 2020 with starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, School Library Journal and the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books -- a heartfelt and personal immigration story, new from critically acclaimed author Thao Lam

New from Thao Lam, the award-winning author of picture books My Cat Looks Like My Dad, Wallpaper, and Skunk on a String, comes a personal story inspired by her family's refugee journey.

In The Paper Boat, Thao's signature collage art tells the wordless story of one family's escape from Vietnam--a journey intertwined with an ant colony's parallel narrative.

At her home in Vietnam, a girl rescues ants from the sugar water set out to trap them. Later, when the girl's family flees war-torn Vietnam, ants lead them through the moonlit jungle to the boat that will take them to safety. Before boarding, the girl folds a paper boat from a bun wrapper and drops it into the water, and the ants climb on. Their perilous journey, besieged by punishing weather, predatory birds, and dehydration, before reaching a new beginning, mirrors the family's own. Impressionistic collages and a moving, Own Voices narrative make this a one-of-a-kind tale of courage, resilience, and hope.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1771473630
• ISBN13: 9781771473637
• Release Date: September 2020
• Publisher: Owlkids
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.4" x 11.1"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 3