Too Young to Escape: A Vietnamese Girl Waits to be Reunited with Her Family has been recommended by CBC Books in a list of 12 Canadian books which “describe the experience of war and its impact on human life.”
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“Rating: 5…Van’s story is necessarily informed by Skrypuch’s research and imagination in addition to Van’s memories of her distant childhood as corroborated by other members of her family. The product, is an extremely engaging account of a childhood in challenging circumstances….
Van’s story is a page-turner. Children will relate to her sense of injustice….
Too Young to Escape is a welcome reminder of the post-Vietnam War refugee crisis that saw Canada, France, the United States and Australia welcome strangers in need. Readers will appreciate hearing this personal story from a child’s perspective. The book will include an eight page colour insert of photographs of Van and her family as children plus a recent photo of Vanessa (formerly Van) with her spouse and children and a final image of Vanessa and her beloved Bà Ngoąi taken in 1997. Skrypuch includes very brief interviews with Van’s parents, Nam Ho and Phuoc Ho, that help to explain the context of the time including the reasons for their difficult decisions.
Readers may have wondered why the telephone or e-mail was not used by Van’s parents. The paucity of telephones in Vietnam in the early 1980s and censorship of physical mail by government officials are two more challenges that Van’s parents note in their interviews. Modern technology may make it easier to communicate over long distances today, but civil wars, state-sanctioned or state-sponsored discrimination and persecution are enduring reasons for normal people to be transformed into refugees in the twenty-first century. Van’s story and those of her family members remain timeless as well as time-specific.
Highly Recommended”
—Val Ken Lem is a librarian at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario
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“Of special note is the Spotlight features on ‘Bat Citizens’ make this an empowering book for children ages 8 to 12 seeking their own expressions of global citizenship. With informational sidebars, color photographs, a glossary and index, and a center-gatefold bat illustration, Bat Citizens is an outstandingly informative and thoroughly ‘kid friendly’ book that will prove to be a welcome and enduringly appreciated addition to both elementary school and community library collections.”
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“Rating: 1-5: (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5
What did you like about the book? For a fairly slim volume (48 p.), this book contains so much information about bats! Taking a global perspective, Laidlaw presents details about a surprising number of the 1,300 species of bats that exist, including physical characteristics, habitats, raising their young, threats, and the benefits of preserving a healthy bat population….
To whom would you recommend this book? Recommended both as a topic for animal-related research projects and for display at Halloween time for readers in upper elementary and middle school. For additional batty information aimed at this age group, pair with Bat Scientists from the Scientists in the Field series or Hanging with Bats by Karen Taschek….
Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? Top half of the pile if non-fiction animal topics interest you, but don’t be surprised if you wind up putting up bat boxes in your backyard afterwards.”
—Mary Melaugh, Marshall Middle School Library, Billerica, MA
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“In words and pictures, Celia Godkin documents the positive effects of the introduction of this predator on the entire ecosystem including, surprisingly, the elk population. By demonstrating the complexity of seemingly simple problems and apparently simple solutions, this clear explanation of cause and effect relationships will encourage its 6-to-9 year old audience to think critically about humanity’s interventions in the environment.”
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“Because bats are a favorite topic for many young readers, there’s always room in the marketplace for another book, especially one that is comprehensive, based on the latest data, and written in an appealing, kid friendly style….
Scientific information is presented in a direct, easy to read manner throughout, with sufficient detail to answer most questions young readers might have….[B]ecause bat populations are being decimated by White Nose Syndrome, readers learn about the latest research. To help with the loss of habitat or disturbance, readers read how concerned citizens are providing bat roosting boxes, prohibiting people from entering old mines and caves, and most interesting, researching ways to protect bats from wind turbines that kill millions….Since bats have long been given a bad rap, everything in this book is aimed at dispelling the myths….
The book profiles 11 kids, starting as young as four, with life long interests in bats and ambitions to be involved in the solutions to their conservation. Arming these kids with today’s technology is resulting in new data collection. They are terrific ambassadors whose dedication to the cause will inspire readers to think about their own interests and aspirations in science fields.
The orderly layout of the book will engage readers and leave a strong impression. The main text, with large bold subheadings, occupies the centre of each double-spread, framed on each side and along the bottom with many well chosen, captioned photos and sidebars. An exciting surprise awaits mid book: a huge foldout diagram of a Hoary Bat with key body parts labelled. The same poster graces the reverse of the cover. That cover, by the way, is striking for its matte black finish with glossy silhouettes and large bat flying towards you. This is a most visually appealing book! Bat Citizens’ contents should readily satisfy the bat curious.
Highly Recommended.”
—Gillian Richardson
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Pajama Press is excited to announce that Adrift at Sea: A Vietnamese Boy’s Story of Survival by author Marsha Forchuk Skyrpuch with Tuan Ho, and illustrator Brian Deines is the recipient of the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada 2017 Information Book Award Honour Book.
The Information Book Award “is given annually to a book that arouses interest, stimulates curiosity, captures the imagination, and fosters concern for the world around us. The award’s aim is to recognize excellence in Canadian publishing of children’s nonfiction.” Pajama Press previously won the 2015 Information Book Award for A Brush Full of Colour: the World of Ted Harrison by Margriet Ruurs and Katherine Gibson.
Pajama Press extends our congratulations to Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, Tuan Ho, and Brian Deines. Our sincerest thanks go to the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada for championing and supporting the development of quality nonfiction in Canadian children’s publishing.
Other notable accolades for Adrift at Sea include nominations for the 2017 Forest of Reading Golden Oak Award, the 2017 Red Cedar Information Book Award, and the Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice (LYRC) Award: Grade 3-5; a Starred Selection in the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Spring 2017 Best Books for Kids & Teens; a New England Children’s Booksellers Advisory Council (NECBA) 2016 Hot Titles List selection; and a 2016 Resource Links “The Year’s Best” selection.
“Adrift at Sea: A Vietnamese Boy’s Story of Survival by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch with Tuan Ho, Illustrated by Brian Deines. What are Vietnamese boat people? Where did they go, and why? This beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture book introduces the reader to a real family: two parents and their five children. Told in the voice of six-year-old Tuan, it explains how thousands were forced to flee communist South Vietnam after the Vietnam war….Tuan was among the lucky ones rescued by a U.S. naval ship….An interesting read that explains why and how people are sometimes forced to flee and find a new homeland.”
Read the full review in the December 2016 issue of The International Educator
“For many decades, wolves were absent from Yellowstone National Park. About 20 years ago, captured wolves from Canada were reintroduced into the park by environmentalists….Beautifully illustrated by the author in watercolor and color pencil, each spread brims with the diversity of animals, plants, and insects presently thriving in Yellowstone. Young ones will enjoy the positive takeaway, and the picture book format makes a complex story accessible and usable in a wide range of early education classes. VERDICT Valuable for children for its affirming environmental message and to counteract the ‘big bad wolf’ image of these necessary predators.”
–Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly at Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY
Read the full review in the February 2017 issue of School Library Journal
“…What did you like about the book? This book illustrates the effect that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park has had on the ecosystem. The book demonstrates that predators at the top of the food chain have a profound impact.…The illustrations of the wildlife are beautifully rendered in lush colors. The book contains more information on “The Wolf in North America,” including a map, at the back. The end pages are filled with illustrations and the names of the plants and animals that are mentioned in the book. This is a great introduction for younger children to the impacts of animals on our world.
Anything you didn’t like about it? No
To whom would you recommend this book? This is a nice way to introduce ecosystems to young children. It could be used for school reports for lower elementary school children….”
—Catherine Coyne
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