Spectacular illustrations and a message amplified even further with a powerful author's note. This is a picture book for older readers, and may need additional support to be fully appreciated, but it's a phenomenal addition to conversations around refugees and immigration.

The Paper Boat by Thao Lam is a beautifully illustrated wordless story arranged in the style of a comic. Lam looks at the experiences of her own family through a story her own mother told to her as a small child, which ends up being a beautiful and accessible way to tell the story of her own family's refugee journey, as well as a side story of ants making their own similar journey. The art is truly phenomenal, but I wasn't too sure about the story until I read the author's explanation at the end, which really brought it all together in a touching way.

I would definitely recommend this for any teachers or parents looking for a way to make the Vietnam war and refugee stories accessible for children, especially for struggling readers who often get the most out of wordless stories. Overall, it's a touching story through beautiful illustrations and it shouldn't be missed.

Wordless Picture Book. I was excited to read this because of how much I enjoyed [book:My Cat Looks Like My Dad|40828086], though I knew it would be a very different tone. This book is wordless, told entirely through pictures. I have read several wordless picture books, but the thing is: the pictures just can't tell the story in this one. The author's note provided much needed context but it was in the back of the book. Added onto a dislike of ants due to the ones that come in my house every spring, this book was not for me. But it does add to the selection of refugee books available, this one focusing on the refugees fleeing Vietnam after the war officially ended but the Viet Cong were still looking for vengeance. Definitely not for the very young, and best read with an adult.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of those beautiful picture books without words about an author's real experience as a child refugee from Vietnam. I absolutely loved this book, and I believe that it will become one of those essential pieces for children's libraries.

This is one of the most hauntingly beautiful stories I have ever had a chance to review. Told through illustration and an authors note, this story melds ants and humans together in a refugee story like no other. The author manages to make the reader feel a sense of calmness from ant-human interaction while simultaneously showing the anguish and pain of being forced to leave the place you call home due to political unrest. And this is all done through illustration. I am in awe of this book and grateful for the opportunity to read it; as it will stick with me for some time. A story we need now more than ever. I am putting it on my "to purchase" list today.

In this wordless book, a South Vietnamese family must suddenly flee from the military. Their vulnerability during their escape by boat is likened to that of ants in a paper boat, being buffeted by the elements. Collage illustrations add drama.

This book was very interesting! It told the story of a family fleeing their country by following ants to a boat and undergoing a journey that takes them to a new country where they land as refuges. I had no idea it was wordless, but the illustrations were amazing. I found them easy to follow and understand. I loved the author's note at the back of the book-it tied everything together. I think it is a very important read, especially considering how prominent refuges are in society nowadays. Many students can relate to this and it is a very smooth introduction into discussion or a project. Great read!

This is a beautiful book. There are no words, yet it is a very moving. I had to go through it twice to understand the context. It doesnt seem immediately accessible for children who may not have the background knowledge to appreciate it.

The Paper Boat is an intriguing wordless picture book that brings to the forefront the story of refugee families. From safety and security to fear, hiding and insecurity. Then the light returns and there is hope. It is a stunning picture book that would be well suited for an older child audience. The book can lead to many deep conversations and wonderings. Absolutely beautiful in every way.

This exquisitely illustrated wordless picture book inspires the mind to feel the story rather than read it. While at the start it seems to be simple story of a young girl and a smarm of ants, the author’s written explanation at the end assists the reader in a solid understanding of the meaning behind the powerful pictures. After gaining this unique understanding the reader can’t help but return the front of the book and revisit the story with a new lens of understanding.
This unique book could be instrumental in a variety of way within the classroom. Young children can enjoy the book on their own – creating the story as they work through the pictures. Older students could use the book to better understand how images connect us to life’s struggles. Whatever the age of the person, this is a book that can be enjoyed time and again.

Beautiful book that combines illustrations and collage to tell the story of Vietnamese refugees using ants as a metaphor.

This picture story traces the journey of a Vietnamese girl with her mother escaping as refugees to a new place alongside ants in a paper boat. There is no text in this story, but the illustrations move you easily from best to beat throughout the story and it’s easy to see what is happening through the pictures.

With the digital version advanced review it’s difficult to judge colors and other aspects of the illustrations well, but the story moves really well, so that reading the author’s note of how the story came to be, feels like the final piece that just enhances what you just learned through pictures.

As an adult, I wondered throughout my reading what the movement of swarms of ants had to do with the story of refugees fleeing Vietnam. The author's note at the end gave the powerful, emotional context for that choice. But I expect that children, allowed to take in the effective artwork on each page at their own pace might arrive at their own intuitive understanding of the author's intent.

This is a beautiful telling of an important and relevant personal family story. It belongs in classrooms, libraries, and homes where children and adults can take their time with it.

This beautifully illustrated wordless picture book takes on a heavy topic with a light touch. This would be a good introduction for older children to the concept of war and refugees.

I did find that the story truly came together only after reading the Author's Note at the end though, which makes this more impactful on the second viewing versus the first.

This picture book was short and sweet. Despite having no words, the pictures told the story in a beautiful and compelling fashion. For a child, and even some adults, it would be the perfect gentle introduction to the Vietnam War or even the idea of refugees. There is an explanation at the end for some of the imagery chosen by the author as well as her personal story. The author is using to help explain to her daughter their family history and I think others could too.

This is a powerful picture book (wordless) that tells the author's story of being a Vietnamese refugee as a child. In it he compares the refugee experience to that of ants, who have to move on and rebuild their colonies when destroyed. It is an excellent conversation starter for students to dive deeply into the refugee experience. It is a book best explored in the context of world history and social emotional education with the support of an adult reader to guide the children through the impactful layered meanings and themes of the book. Conversations for this book are suitable for kindergarten through adult.

I think a print copy of this book is best. The digital copy doesn't have the impact I think it would have otherwise. Also, the Author's Note is so important to understanding this story and should probably be at the beginning of the book; independent child readers may skip over it after flipping through the pictures. Many of the nuances of the book are lost without reading it.

Advanced #NetGalley copy was provided to me as a courtesy in exchange for an honest review.

A fascinating, emotional, wordless picture book. It is about the Vietnam War and being forced to flee as a refugee. Within the story is an allegory about ants. Since it contains no words, it forces the reader to pay attention to what is happening in each picture. The illustrations are absolutely wonderful and convey heavy emotions. The allegory about ants is a little confusing, but clarified well with the author's note at the end. This would be great for older elementary age students to teach about this complex and devastating subject matter. Even middle and high school students and adults could benefit from reading this.

Thank you NetGalley and OwlKids Books for providing this ARC.

An excellent storybook with lovely illustrations, a great allegory, and a wonderful true story that I really connected to in a deep, visceral way.

The illustrations in the book are amazing, along with how a migrant story is told with ants. I also enjoyed at the end the telling of the story and the reason ants were used in comparison.

Reading the authors note at the end may help make sense of this gorgeous and wordless story. Told from the start through the end pages, we notice a stray ant crawl out from newspapers detailing accounts of war in Vietnam and the ant becomes ants clamoring on a table filled with food.

As the ants climb up a bowl already filled with liquid, more contents are poured into the bowl, and in walks a child who looks on sadly, trying to rescue ants with chopsticks.

And so begins Lam’s account of survival, recalled from the tender age of two. Through wonderfully detailed images (the tank approaching in the window, the looks of pain and sorrow on the faces of adults) we witness a family fleeing, hiding in tall grass as men with guns approach.

Perhaps the most serious of work, her skill as a visual storyteller excels in the way she depicts the dangerous journey across the sea. Here the wordlessness works as there is much to ”read” about the journey: the relentless sun, threatening forces (both animal and nature), the persistent hunger.

A wonderful work that can be added to a growing collection that accounts the refugee experience (see Applegate’s Home of the Brave, Lai’s Inside Out and Back Again, Sanna’s The Journey or Bui’s A Different Pond.)