The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781771473637)

Named a best picture book of 2020 by Kirkus, School Library Journal, Booklist, New York Public Library, the Globe and Mail, CBC, and the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books -- a heartfelt and personal immigration story by 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.

Author: Thao Lam
ISBN-10: 1771473630
ISBN-13: 9781771473637
Publisher: Owlkids
Language: English
Published: 09/15/2020
Pages: 40
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.96lbs
Size: 11.10h x 8.40w x 0.60d

Review Citation(s):
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 07/01/2020 - Book Of Special Distinction
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2020
Booklist 07/01/2020 pg. 75
Publishers Weekly 07/27/2020
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2020 pg. 43
School Library Journal 09/01/2020 pg. 67
Foreword 08/26/2020