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From the Tops of the Trees
CCBC Review:
Based on her own experience, Hmong American author Yang describes living in the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp in Thailand as a small child in the mid-1980s. After describing a bit of the everyday life in the camp, she zeroes in on one particular memory: Her mother dressed her in her best clothes, while her father carried young Kao on his back as he climbed a tree so that she could see that the world is bigger than the refugee camp. At the top of the tree he tells her, “One day my little girl will journey far into the world, to the places her father has never been.” An author’s note offers more details about her life in the camp before her family moved to the United States when she was six years old, and the end matter also includes the photograph her mother took of the author in the tree with her father. The anime-style illustrations in muted tones express the love between the young girl and her parents. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Rachel Wada
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-7
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
20th Century
Fathers
Hmong People
Refugees
Diversity subject:
Asian
Publishers:
Carolrhoda, Lerner
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781541581302
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Yang