Review by Booklist Review
Spare text and expressive watercolor-like illustrations tell the gentle story of a family's harrowing journey from their homeland to take refuge overseas in a new country. An unnamed child recounts their family's struggles after "being on the losing side of war." After selling all of their belongings for gold and a way out, the family boards a crowded wooden boat, upon which they run out of food and water and cannot sleep. The family and the other people on the boat nearly sink and drown before a large ship saves them, carrying them to a new city. A note at the end reveals the story is based on the real-life experience of the author, who, at the age of three, left Vietnam with her family to take refuge in the UK after the war. Hundreds of thousands of boat people died at sea trying to escape. They risked their lives hoping for a better life like so many refugees today, who, as the author urges, need our compassion. A poignant tale of resilience and hope in the aftermath of war and losing one's homeland.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Born into a family being "punished for being on the losing side" of a long war, the child narrator of this contemplative picture book by Thai explains how "every day felt like it could be our last." The protagonist's mother sells all the family's possessions for gold, then carefully strikes a deal. In the night, the family of four surreptitiously make their way to a wooden boat, where they're squeezed in tightly with others. Food and water run out as the boat travels down a river to the sea. Out on the ocean ("So big, so deep"), a storm threatens to sink the craft, until a vast ship appears and waits hours to bring the passengers aboard. Unadorned prose renders life-or-death moments throughout, not shying away from recollected experiences of fear. Dao's stark digital illustrations, meanwhile, mimic stamp and watercolor textures as the pink-clad narrator worries--and later dreams--about sinking into the sea ("It would be as if we were never here, or never even existed"). A note discusses the author's flight from Vietnam at age three. Ages 4--8. (Mar.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
In this somber, emotional, semiautobiographical picture book, Thai tells a story based on memories of her family's escape from postwar Vietnam. Using spare, straightforward language, the young narrator shares her experiences over the course of a year as her parents sell their possessions to fund their escape from a difficult life in which everyone was "hungry" and "afraid" and relatives went "missing" as punishment "for being on the losing side of the war." Dao's evocative digital illustrations, done mostly in brown, green, and gray, heighten the dangers as the family escapes into the jungle at night, then boards an overcrowded wooden boat. The titular sea threatens all passengers as they run out of food and water; when the pump gives out, the boat starts to sink. The family is rescued at the last moment and eventually resettles in the UK, but the protagonist remains haunted by their brush with death. An author's note pays tribute to the hundreds of thousands of others who did not survive the journey. This moving, visually compelling story about one refugee family's experiences is a powerful testament to fostering compassion and understanding. Michelle LeeMay/June 2025 p.120 (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
Members of a family leave their country behind in search of a new home. Although the young narrator was born after the end of a long war, the family still leads an uneasy existence. They face ramifications for having been on the losing side: "Every day felt like it could be our last," the protagonist confides. And so, Mum sells the family's possessions for gold and negotiates for passage out, and they make the dangerous trek under the cover of darkness to a tiny boat. Rations are limited, heavy rains create tumultuous waves, and a mechanical failure occurs. But hope lies ahead. Drawing from her own experiences as a young child fleeing Vietnam with her family, Thai recounts an affecting story of the impact of war and displacement. Lingering trauma and guilt surface at times, but the book closes on a note of hope and gratitude as the family sits down to a New Year's meal. Though much has changed, the narrative comes full circle to emphasize what has remained the same: the family's love. Taking on dramatic angles and making expert use of visual metaphor, Dao's expressive artwork captures the family's complex emotions. While the story is rooted in the Vietnamese diaspora of the 1970s and 1980s, it's a tale that will resonate with many; as Thai explains in her author's note, hers was one of millions, and the number of refugees and displaced people has only grown substantially since. A poignant reflection on one refugee's experience.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
