  | Rock in my throat Author: Yang, Kao Kalia | |
| Price: $23.78 | ||
Summary:
In this moving true story, Kao Kalia Yang shares her experiences as a Hmong refugee child navigating life at home and school in America while carrying the weight of her selective mutism.
| Illustrator: | Lin, Jiemei |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (02/01/24)
School Library Journal (06/28/24)
Booklist (+) (02/15/24)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/03/24)
The Hornbook (00/03/24)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 06/28/2024 Gr 2–4—Kalia is struggling to learn to speak English and when she sees people being impatient with her mother's similar struggle, the child decides that she won't speak either. Her parents want to know why she chooses not to speak, but she can't verbalize why, even in her home language of Hmong. Her mother says to her in the Hmong, "I don't know why you don't speak at school"; the translation is only found at the end of the book. The muted palette and graphic nature of the artwork give a feeling of separation and loneliness to Kalia's dilemma. The Hmong embroidery on the endpapers adds to a celebration of culture in a lovely lesson on communicating and finding one's voice. VERDICT This beautifully illustrated picture book fills a need in any collection on immigrant experiences.—Debbie Tanner - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
School Library Journal - 06/28/2024 Gr 2–4—Kalia is struggling to learn to speak English and when she sees people being impatient with her mother's similar struggle, the child decides that she won't speak either. Her parents want to know why she chooses not to speak, but she can't verbalize why, even in her home language of Hmong. Her mother says to her in the Hmong, "I don't know why you don't speak at school"; the translation is only found at the end of the book. The muted palette and graphic nature of the artwork give a feeling of separation and loneliness to Kalia's dilemma. The Hmong embroidery on the endpapers adds to a celebration of culture in a lovely lesson on communicating and finding one's voice. VERDICT This beautifully illustrated picture book fills a need in any collection on immigrant experiences.—Debbie Tanner - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
