"Many things are different for Ánh now that they've left Vietnam. The weather is colder and they live in a barracks at a refugee camp while they wait for their new life in America to start. Ánh finds comfort in their warmhearted teacher, Miss Mary Ellen, but has trouble with learning to speak English. All Ánh wants is to be able to say "thank you" to Miss Mary Ellen, but will the words ever stop getting stuck between their head and their voice? With a little inspiration from their grandmother—as well as the chance discovery of an adorable animal—Ánh will try to gather the courage to finally say their first word in a new language." -- publisher
Themes & Content
- Genres
- Fiction
- Central Theme Categories
- Centering Culture & Identity
- Cross Group
- Oppression & Resilience
- Content
- Diverse Families/Family Dynamics
- Languages & Communication
- Relocation Narratives
- School/Extracurricular Activities
- Ethnicity
- Unspecified
- Vietnamese
- Immigration Representation
- Refugees/Asylum Seekers
- Gender Representation
- Girls/Women
- Unspecified
- Character Prominence
- Dominant Main
- Secondary
- Illustrator Lived Experience
- Illustrator shares race/culture AND ethnicity/tribal nation/homeland with main characters
- Unique Contributions
- Asian/Pacific Islander/Asian American characters AND Oppression & Resilience
