A Map Into the World

by Kao Kalia Yang (Author) Seo Kim (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

"Filled with wonder and sorrow and happiness." --Alison McGhee, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Someday

A heartfelt story of a young girl seeking beauty and connection in a busy world. As the seasons change, so too does a young Hmong girl's world. She moves into a new home with her family and encounters both birth and death. As this curious girl explores life inside her house and beyond, she collects bits of the natural world. But who are her treasures for? A moving picture book debut from acclaimed Hmong American author Kao Kalia Yang.

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Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

Yang (The Song Poet for adults), a Hmong writer making her picture book debut, offers a story about a girl who notices things. Young Paj Ntaub (both a girl's name and a term that nods to needlework tellings of Hmong experiences) moves with her family to a green house and helps to hang their story cloth "about how the Hmong got to America" on the wall. When her twin baby brothers cry too loudly, her father takes her outside, where they wave to their elderly neighbors, Bob and Ruth. In lovingly detailed spreads, Kim, making her U.S. debut, draws all the things that Paj Ntaub sees: gingko leaves ("yellow like apricots"), winter snow, a worm. When Ruth dies in the winter, and Paj Ntaub notices Bob grieving come spring, she chalks a wealth of previously regarded details on his driveway--"a map into the world," she explains. Though age separates them, Paj Ntaub's accounting of everyday details reaches Bob--and gives voice to the child's experience, too. A distinctive story that weaves together threads of family life, community and culture, the natural world, and the power of stories. Ages 7-8. (Oct.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-5--The world can be a lonely and confusing place, but with the right companionship, it can be more easily navigated. Paj Ntaub and her Hmong family move into a new house with a swing and a garden, just in time to welcome her new baby twin brothers into their home. Her family befriends the elderly couple across the street, often waving back and forth, especially when things are overwhelming inside the houses. Over the winter, the man's wife dies, and when the weather again turns warm, Paj Ntaub executes a brave and insightful plan to reach out to her grieving neighbor. Written in a simple style with lyrical phrases peppered throughout, the heartfelt narrative allows readers to appreciate the depth the child's musings. The endpapers showcase a story cloth depicting how the Hmong people came to America. Beautiful, detailed illustrations are rich in color, texture, and emotion, lifting the story off the page; an emotional ending will leave tears in the eyes of some readers. VERDICT This is an excellent addition to elementary school libraries, especially as an enhancement to selections about intergenerational love and acceptance, and immigration stories about bridging cultures.--Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver Public Library

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"A young Hmong girl settles into her new home, and as the seasons change, so does the world around her. A Map Into the World is a beautiful and hopeful story about love and loss, family and friendship, and it belongs in every reader's hands."—Sarah Park Dahlen, Associate Professor in the MLIS Program at St. Catherine University

—Other Print
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781541538368
Lexile Measure
560
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Carolrhoda Books (R)
Publication date
October 01, 2019
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV039030 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Death & Dying
JUV011020 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Asian American
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Families
Family life
Neighbors
Grief
Hmong Americans

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