While I'm not big on ants or Insects in general, I think the way the author used them was interesting. The ants were a thing that helped guide hi mom and also represented the refugees. I enjoyed the picture book well enough and I like the unique art style.

This book grew on me.  The first time I read it (is that the appropriate verb for a wordless picture book?), I was confused, especially about the relationship of ants to the young girl.  Then I read the author's note at the end.  Rereading with that in mind, I began to appreciate this unique refugee story with subdued, detailed artwork, which I loved.  A book that might not initially attract kids, but once they are introduced to it, I can see them pouring over the pictures and telling their own stories of refugee journeys.

** spoiler alert ** 

This book is a wonderful picture story-book that tells the story of the author's family and the comparative story of a family of ants that she rescues and then "builds" a paper boat for them. On closer inspection, you note that the newspaper used for the boat highlights different aspects of the Vietnam war, especially the plight of the hundreds of thousands of refugees who had fled the destruction for a better, safer way of life. In the narrative that shows up later in the book, and in the only area where words are found, the author describes how her family - including her mother who was 3 months pregnant with her sister - managed to escape and eventually end up in Malaysia, and then, ultimately, Canada. As I read her story, I could picture the images from the start of the book, including the ants and their travels on the water, and how both set of lives were intertwined.

I found the images, while fairly simple, were beautifully done, and matched up well with the story. They didn't take over the important message; instead, they acted as stunning displays of the resiliency of the spirit (human and otherwise).

I *will* say, that seeing this book in digital format (Kindle) was not really the best as the images and pages were "torn apart" and everything had to be sort of mentally "pieced together". I would highly recommend the actual print/physical book to be able to fully appreciate everything this grand story has to offer.

In closing I would like to thank both the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to view this amazing and inspirational children's picture book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story of the author’s parents’ journey escaping war in Vietnam to a refugee camp in Malaysia. I absolutely loved the nuanced imagery in this book with the ants and refugees as well as the part where different elements that look like will helps the refugees strike them down (the white peaceful looking birds, thunder, etc.); it was fascinating to read the background story behind that stylistic choice in the author’s note. The illustrations were beautiful with a well-balanced color palette. Overall, short, quick read, definitely something to read with kids to educate them about an important historical event and the consequences it had on the people of the country.

A powerful picture book. A wordless narrative utilising Lam’s signature collage art. The Paper Boat is an Own Voice picture book depicting the story of a young Vietnamese refugee family as they escape Vietnam. Alongside the young Vietnamese child and their family, we witness a swarm of ants as they too take a perilous journey to safety.

There is an excellent use of the colour scheme, tone, and symbolism. The imagery is powerful, evoking strong emotions with great details. As readers, we witness the subtle details woven in the narrative. There is the bleak and rough art style (the newspaper articles reporting the war, a military tank appearing in the window, soldiers in uniform holding guns, the ants as they journey through the water) contrasted with the ending and the lighter, colourful panels.

I feel that the story was easy to follow through and highly recommend reading the author’s note as it adds great insight to the story and the symbolism of the ants. As a child of immigrants myself, I appreciate this book deeply and how it conveys life’s struggles yet paints hope and determination in the face of adversity. 

Overall, Paper Boats is a powerful read, that presents themes such as reliance, strength, hope, and empathy. With background information, this book may serve as a great educational tool in classrooms for accounting refugee experiences and I highly recommend this read. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers (OwlKids Books) for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

There was no text, but I truly didn't need it.
 
The imagery was so powerful that I knew exactly what I was looking at and I think it's a wonderful and safe way for a child to learn about the refugees of Vietnam. It translates the fear, anxiety, and sadness very well, but most of all it shows hope. 

I believe this was a beautiful picturebook and I hope to be able to purchase it once I have the opportunity. I would love my nephew to learn about these things. 

I thank the author for sharing this piece of their experience. It forms appreciation I think will be perfect in teaching children about other cultures and their experiences.

Without the subtitle, “A Refugee Story,” on the cover of The Paper Boat it might be difficult for children to immediately recognize the message that this wordless book shares so beautifully. It isn’t until reaching the end of the book, where there is an author’s note from Lam, that young readers learn exactly what the images in the book are meant to convey. This makes the book even more powerful, because it requires such focus and concentration from young readers in their first read and then invites many more visits through the illustrations once more information has been gathered.

Lam’s experience as a two-year-old fleeing Vietnam with her pregnant mother during the war is depicted in collage-style mixed media illustrations with muted tones. The book begins with a little girl rescuing ants who are trapped in the sugar water meant to keep them from eating the family’s food. These ants continue to be characters throughout the story, leading the family towards the boat they will take to flee Vietnam and then making their own escape in a paper boat built by the little girl.

The ants’ journey on the paper boat is a reflection of the experience of so many refugee families. We have seen devastating images of individuals and families whose journeys by water have ended tragically, but these images would be too hard or upsetting for many of our youngest students to process. Lam uses the story of the ants’ escape on the paper boat as a method of conveying the struggles and risks that so many refugee families encounter. By so cleverly interweaving the story of the ants with that of the little girl and her family, Lam makes sure that readers will understand their connection.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and to Owlkids for the opportunity to read and review this book. It is one that I believe young children will be drawn to over and over and that will inspire awareness and empathy in those who spend time with it.

The Paper Boat is about Vietnamese refugees fleeing Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It is a picture book with no words and because of this it's quite hard to rate and review. Th art of The Paper Boat was charming, detailed, and effectively told the story. This would make a good picture book for very young readers and is a great opportunity to introduce to them concepts like war, refugees, immigration, and etc.

The Paper Boat is a wordless picture book with a paper collage design telling story of the author and his family escaping Vietnam on a boat. A company of ants follow along and escape in their own little paper boat. At the end of the story, the author includes a note explaining more about his family's escape and the significance of the ants. 
This is not an easy book to follow, with the explanation given at the end instead of the beginning or throughout the story. I would suggest "reading" this book with your children and talking about the story elements on each page. Young children may not have heard of Vietnam, or understand this part of history, so a conversation will also be helpful. However, with gentle guidance and permission to question, you can share this book with your child knowing that the experience will demonstrate kindness, beauty, hope, and resilience in the Vietnamese boat people, and likewise nurture the same in your little one.

I really enjoyed this book.  I liked the art and how it was a collage, as well as it's color scheme. I thought the story was quite touching and I could still understand what was happening despite there being no words (alongside that idea, I think the author's note furthered my understanding of the text beyond what the story told).  This is an important book to be published because it will help all kinds of kids understand the struggles that people can face without being too graphic for their age level.  By helping kids understand others, they'll be able to demonstrate more kindness, empathy, and inclusivity.  An important story to share

hink that having books like this is so important. Especially to teach the younger generation about these important topics and issues in world history. The visuals are absolutely stunning! That being said though, given that this is meant for a child, I don’t know how much they’d understand unless they have a previous knowledge on the topic... I think it really would have helped to have added text to this. It’s important for kids to learn and it helps to have the things they might not yet understand, explained. But I’m still glad a short little book like this is out there in the world! I still would recommend giving this a read and or buying a copy for your child. If they have you to explain what’s going on, they can really learn a lot from this.
Thank you so much for the ARC, Owlkids!!

My thoughts after reading the description: A true story about a family's escape from war-torn Vietnam but targeted to children. And told without words. Color me intrigued.

My thoughts after finishing the book: Words would've helped a lot. I liked the author's note more than I did the rest of the book because that's where I was actually told the story. I believe this is a very important and powerful story to tell but, unfortunately, I don't think a child would really grasp what's going on just by looking at the pictures.

I love wordless books! They are great for children who are ELLs and such a great way to engage with imagination. Although I was unsure of the connection between ants and migrants, I thought that this book would be a great point of inquiry for kids. I like the papery collage look in the book and thought it's very well executed.

An important telling of the story of a refugee family, this wordless picture book would be a great asset to any classroom or family wishing to learn more about others. It is illustrated so beautifully, and the style is timeless.

I will say that I don’t think the book will make much sense to a child or early teen experiencing the book on their own. I feel that the author could have included the information that is at the end, at the start in a child friendly way and that would be a help. As an educational tool in the classroom with the right prep work it would absolutely be impactful however.

In this book, we follow the story of a Vietnamese family as they embark on a journey to escape war-torn Vietnam. 

* ‘The Paper Boat’ is a very important picture book. 
* This is an emotional read with a hopeful ending. 
* This picture book is own voices. 
* The authors' note was heartbreaking as this is based on their family’s journey. It is a very impactful note filled with more details of their journey.
* This is a perfect tool to use when starting to teach children about refugees and refugee camps. 
* It highlights the struggles of leaving your home and having to start over again. While also showing us how frightening living in a war-torn country/ seeking refuge is. 
* This story on immigration is heartfelt. It shows the courage, strength, resilience, planning and hope that it takes to migrate to a new country. 
* It further illustrates how hard it is to leave your home while exploring the sacrifices people have to make in order to stay safe.
* Beautiful illustrations.

This powerful picture book is a wordless recreation via metaphor of the author's family's journey from Vietnam to Canada at the end of the Vietnam War. Only two at the time, Thao Lam remembers little of the events themselves, but has taken her mother's story and crafted it beautifully for this children's book.

Working in her preferred mixed-media/collage art style, she tells the tale of a Vietnamese family forced to flee their homeland by boat, merging seamlessly with the tale of ants also embarking on a perilous journey using a paper boat her mother folded to keep her quiet and entertained while hiding from military brutality. The ants have a hard time of it out on the open water, beset by heat, birds, hunger and storms. So it is almost magical when the ants make their way to safety, just as Ms Lam's family does, finally settling in beautiful urban Canada.

This is a book that requires the reader to pore over each beautiful panel in order to get the full effect of the story. It's especially important to pay attention on pages 28 & 29, as my 9 year-old and I needed to go back when we were done reading to see that the ants had made landfall and weren't merely swimming in a calmer sea. I was probably slightly more affected by the book than he was, tho he did enjoy the art and the fact that there weren't any words till the insightful author's note at the end.

The Paper Boat is the kind of book that skillfully does the tough but necessary work of encouraging empathy, especially for refugees. While Ms Lam is carefully neutral about the involvement of Malaysia in resettling Vietnamese arrivals, I personally wish that the land I grew up in had shown far more hospitality then, and would show far more kindness and decency to the refugees they host now. Which is all very well for me to say, given that I live in a country with its own deplorable track record, that I'm hoping to help correct come November*. In the meantime, I'll keep promoting books like this one in hopes that it will help open eyes, hearts and minds to the very real human suffering we can do so much to alleviate simply by recognizing the humanity in one another and treating others the way we would want to be treated.

*semi-regular reminder for Americans to check your voter registration and otherwise prepare yourself to vote by going to <a href="https://www.vote.org/">Vote.org</a>.

Owlkids Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Paper Boat: a refugee story. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Told in collage art style, the author wordlessly explains one family’s escape from Vietnam. A little girl saves ants from sugar water, meant to drown them, so they in turn save her family while they are fleeing from their war torn village. The perilous journey, for both the ants and their human companions, are intertwined from page to page. As they separately reach their destination, are the two groups reunited in the end?

Unfortunately, The Paper Boat does not make much sense without the Author's Note located at the back of the book. The true story of the author's journey should have been a lead-in to the book, as it helps the reader make sense of the depictions. I am not sure that children would necessarily get what the author is trying to convey without some type of explanation. Written in simple language that children would understand, a note at the beginning would help tremendously. That being said, The Paper Boat is good assistant for parents or educators to explain the idea of refugees, from any country in any time period.

'The Paper Boat' with story and illustrations by Thao Lam is a wordless book about a refugees journey told in an interesting way.

A young girl saves some ants in her home in Vietnam.  Soon her family will flee across the ocean and the ants will lead them.  The story of the journey's hardship is told as the ants face starvation, dehydration and death.

I really liked this wordless story.  I liked the way the ants were used to create sympathetic characters without making a traumatic story.  The papercut illustrations are unique illustrations, too.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Owlkids Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Children of Southeast Asian refugees like myself will appreciate the harrowing journey Lam shares of a girl and her family's escape from Vietnam. Presented without words, readers must interpret the story through images illustrated with collage art.  It encourages a more intimate connection by having readers closely observe the actions and emotions on each page so when readers finally reach the author's note, there is a greater emotional impact. The Paper Boat provides an opportunity to share the sacrifices of our families, passing down stories to a younger generation so they may understand their history is not only one filled with pain but also courage and hope.

Stunning visuals. This is a child's Grimm's fairytale like view of being a refugee leaving war torn Vietnam. I am a huge fan of ants so I really loved the ants as a metaphor for refugees. I really loved the details in the author's note, especially, "Whereever they find themselves, they adapt, contribute, and make a substantial impact on the local environment. They have no fear of hardship and are willing to sacrifice themselves to ensure the safety of their families above all else."

While their are no words to the story, it is impactful and emotional with just the visuals.