Review by Booklist Review
Stunning illustrations and gentle text tell the story of a separated family's heartrending and hopeful journey from Vietnam to the U.S. Young Mai loves playing with her papa, especially when it's their special crocodile game. But one morning, Papa gives her an extra-long hug, gives her mama an extra-big kiss, and cries at the end of their street before he leaves. Papa does not return home that night, or many nights after, but does send letters. Mama explains that Papa left to find them a new home. The lengthening of hair suggests the passage of time before, one day, Mama packs a bag and tells Mai that they are leaving to go find Papa. They sneak quietly through their village and wade through a river to a boat, where they embark on a treacherous journey. Like others on the boat, they are scared and longing to reunite with their families. Intimate full-color pictures created with minimal strokes pull readers tenderly into each scene. Emotions brim on the characters' faces, capturing joyful moments and hardship as well as the differing perspectives between adult and child characters. Back matter provides historical and personal context with information about author Krans' and illustrator Bui's own childhood journeys from Vietnam to the U.S. in the early 1980s and late 1970s, respectively. A beautifully moving collaboration of lyrical text and striking illustrations.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Drawing from personal experiences emigrating from Vietnam to America, per creators' notes, the author-illustrator team foregrounds one family's journey in this sensitive picture book. Young, dark-haired Mai laughs and squeals at her father's "chomp chomp" fingerplay, which depicts a hungry reptile: "Crocodiles were scary, but Papa was not." One morning, hugging Mai goodbye, her father lingers "longer than usual," and cries as he walks down the village road. He doesn't return home for playtime or dinner ("Chomp, chomp," Mai says to herself), but Mama reassures the child, revealing that Papa is finding the family a new home, and sharing letters she receives from him. One night, Mama packs a small bag, confiding, "We are going to find Papa." Traveling to him, a trip rendered in sensory-forward language from debut author Pham Krans, involves boarding a boat that fills with water in a storm, before a larger ship picks the passengers up and takes them to a camp. Eventually, Mai and Mama arrive in an American city, where "chomp, chomp" paves the way for reconnection. Mixed-media illustrations from Bui (A Different Pond) focus on interpersonal tenderness and varied landscapes, evoking across somber events a young child's joy and yearning, and a playful parent-child bond. Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Katherine Wessbecher, Bradford Literary. Illustrator's agent: Julie Stevenson, Massie & McQuilkin. (Feb.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--Mai loves to play the crocodile chomp with Papa. Papa chomps his hands together and Mai always laughs because "Crocodiles were scary, but Papa was not." One day Papa says an extra long goodbye to Mai and Mama, then leaves Vietnam to look for a new home for them all. When word finally arrives from Papa, Mama and Mai set out to join him, taking very little with them. During the long and difficult journey, first by foot, then by boat, Mai comforts herself by playing crocodile chomp on her own. The pair eventually make their way to America where, dressed in new clothes, they see an unfamiliar man with a mustache approaching through a crowd. Mai doesn't recognize the man and hides behind Mama's legs, but her fears disappear when the man kneels and does the crocodile chomp. The illustrations infuse the story with warmth and keep even the most harrowing parts of the journey from feeling too scary for children. The love in Mai's family is palpable, shown both by physical affection and the fact that they are never far from each other's thoughts. An author's note explains more about the true events of the book, and an artist's note provides further historical and personal context as well. VERDICT Reassuring despite depicting a dangerous journey and uncertain time; there are many children for whom this is not history, but family stories. Essential.--Heather Webb
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Review by Horn Book Review
Little Mai is close to her father; she loves when they play games and when Papa makes crocodile jaws with his hands ("CHOMP! CHOMP!"). When he leaves their rural Vietnam village in search of a new home for the family, Mai is despondent. But then one night Mama packs a small bag and the two of them set off to join him: walking through rice paddies, fording a river, climbing into a boat's cargo hold crowded with others who are also looking for their families. Despite the harrowing journey, Mai remains brave by remembering playing crocodile with her father. The family is eventually reunited in America (with Papa now sporting a mustache!). Bui's (A Different Pond, rev. 9/17) illustrations emphasize detail and perspective. Mai is often shown being carried in her mother's arms or on Mama's back; though she is physically small, the child's experiences and perspectives loom large. Some double-page spreads show the broader picture on the left-hand side (a ship being tossed in roiling waves, for example) and a detailed closeup on the right (the view from the ship's deck). Krans's focus on the father-daughter bond that is strengthened through play keeps this perilous migration tale upbeat and tender, with moments of lightness. Julie Hakim AzzamMarch/April 2023 p.47 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A family separated reunites in a new home and country. Mai loves spending time with her father, especially when they play a game called the crocodile chomp. When Papa leaves their Vietnam village in search of a new home, Mama and Mai are left behind waiting until they, too, pack and leave. They wade through waters and travel by boat and through new lands in the hope of reuniting with Papa. In this hard and hopeful history, author Krans and illustrator Bui draw from their own childhood journeys from Vietnam to America in, respectively, the early 1980s and late 1970s. Krans' prose gently helps young readers understand concepts such as missing loved ones and displacement. Repeated phrasing and recurring elements (crocodiles, mango trees, goodbyes) create a lyrical, compelling narrative and read-aloud. The "CHOMP! CHOMP!" of the crocodile game, which reappears in various situations, particularly evokes an array of emotions, ending in a poignant reunion. Bui's art, with its intimate portraits of family moments, is full of tenderness and expression. With minimal strokes, faces speak volumes. Backgrounds range from warm-hued dirt roads and verdant rice paddies to stormy waters navigated by crowded boat. When the trio reunite, the bustling American city backdrop fades to abstraction and the family takes the focus. While the story does not explicitly reveal the circumstances leading to the family's journey, the author's and illustrator's notes provide historical context and personal anecdotes. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An affecting story of courage and hope in hardship. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
