Readers should take a few extra minutes and read this book twice. Please. A reread after taking in the story behind the story adds so much to the tale that you won't regret that extra time. This gorgeous book should be required reading.

This wordless yet emotional book tells the story of a family escaping Vietnam during the war and becoming refugees in a new country. It is powerful, haunting, and visceral. 

At the beginning of the book, the storyline is not clear. Going to the back, and reading the note from the author, clarifies the story. I would certainly recommend this for children who are learning about refugees of any country or about the Vietnam War. It might also be beneficial for younger children, but please be careful because the content is demanding emotionally of the reader.

I enjoyed this wordless picture book about refugees immigrating.  Neat to see it from the ants’ perspective

The Paper Boat is an Own Voices story about fleeing from war torn Vietnam.  The illustrations are beautifully done in paper collages.  There are no words to this story, so if you aren't familiar with it, it may be confusing.  The author does have notes in the back telling the story, and making the connection between the ants and their family's journey.  I definitely recommend that an adult look through the pictures, and then read the back before sharing this story with a child.

The Paper Boat is a short, wordless graphic novel that tells the story of Vietnamese Refugees during the Vietnam War. Partially told about a family fleeing in the night and partially told from the perspective of ants making the same perilous journey, this graphic novel simplifies the Vietnam War and therefore works as a way to introduce this tragic and tumultuous part of history to younger readers. The paper cut out illustrations are very unique, but because the subject matter is so heavy, I fear that the wordlessness may make the actual message behind this painful story drift over many students' heads.

The illustration was beautiful and the authors note at the end was touching. I especially loved that this was story told by his mother about the night they escaped.

A personal story of resilience and courage about a family escape from Vietnam told graphically by the award winning artist. The artist portrays the story in pictures using ants that mirror their own journey.

This story was absolutely beautiful. Every page appeared painstakingly made with incredible attention to detail. My only critique is that I found myself slightly confused until I read the author's note at the end, which explained the significance of the ants illustrated throughout the story. After reading this note, I understood the real power behind the art. Lovely and visceral book!

This is the second wordless picture book that I’ve reviewed in the last couple of weeks. Is this an emerging trend in picture books?

Although I love the quietness of the collage art illustrations and the story, I am not convinced that a young reader will be able to follow it without words or an understanding of the historical context of the story of a young girl and her family fleeing Vietnam. The author’s note at the end of the book provides background, but by then the reader might already have already lost interest. And while I love the story of the inclusion of the ants in the book and the way that Thao Lam compares them to refugees, having to move and rebuild their colonies, again I wonder if that will be able to grasp that as the book unfolds.

As an adult, I think this is a beautiful and poignant picture book. It’s like a short, wordless graphic novel or novella. And the illustrations and design make lovely use of white space and perspective.  But if the intended audience is children, then I am not sure that it works. So I withhold my full judgement until I have an opportunity to see how children interact with The Paper Boat.

I read a digital proof of The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story via NetGalley and the publisher, Owlkids Books.

This book is beautiful for what it is: a wordless story of a refugee family finding safety told through gorgeous art. The author's note provided context that personalized the story further. Part of me is conflicted between appreciating the universal aspects of this particular refugee journey (the peril, the hope) and wanting more of the author's personal experience.

This was a breathtaking and absolutely heartwarming story about a family's refuge journey. It truly touched my heart and I found myself tearing up while reading this. There are no words but the beautiful illustrative story telling perfectly conveys the emotions and feelings within this story. I found this to be a phenomenal read and would highly recommend this for all readers.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from Thao Lam and Owlkids Books through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought the layered paper illustrations were really creative and they definitely grab your attention.  I was confused by the ants in the illustrations until I read the authors notes at the end of the book.  
I would recommend that the adult reads these notes prior to reading the book to children so that you understand the significance of the ants and can provide insight to the children if required while reading it out loud.

The Paper Boat is a beautiful wordless picture book about a young girl's refugee journey.  The artwork is beautiful and not to be missed.

I thought I would like this one more than I did. I think I was thrown by the narrative with the ants; you really only get the significance of that after you read the author's note.

This is a wordless picture book, illustrated with cut-paper collage, that details the escape and journey of a family of refugees fleeing Vietnam in the 1970s. The story is easy enough to follow... up to a point. After the little girl drops a piece of paper, the ants climb on and go on their own journey... which involves vicious seagulls and a lot of drowning. I guess the idea was to use the ants instead of people for the more graphic aspects of the story. But it's still pretty dark.

The book doesn't really work without a reading of the author's note at the end, which I'm not crazy about; I think picture books should be able to get their message across without too much explanation.

The collages are okay, but I'm not really a fan of the spare style. The bleakness of some of the panels works, given the subject matter, but I didn't think there was enough of a contrast (at least colour-wise) between the panels that depicted the refugees' flight and the ones that showed them safe in their new home.

Overall, this is a decent refugee story, and would probably work best in a classroom setting where more discussion about the topic can follow. I'm not sure if kids would get a lot out of it if they just flipped through it on their own (especially if they didn't bother reading the author's note at the end).

WOW. The Paper Boat by Thao Lam is a beautifully rendered wordless picture book that tells a story of one family's escape from Vietnam, paralleled by a similar journey of an ant colony. This book is incredible. It tells the story of a refugee family in such a way that children can visually understand and connect with the emotions of people who have perhaps lived a different experience than they have. Some parents may feel that the topics of war, displaced persons, and immigration/migration are tough topics to broach with their children. The Paper Boat is a book that can help start these conversations with young kids. Adults can also learn from this story, particularly by reading the Author's Note (I know I learned a lot!) and reflecting on the allegorical aspects of the story. Lastly, the artwork in this book is also created by the author, and is absolutely stunning.

The Paper Boat by Thao Lam is creative and dynamic with its use of paper pictures and no words. The power of the images relay the feelings of the family fleeing their country without trying to explain in words. The juxtaposition of the ants in the paper boat and the refugees in the actual boat is brilliant, and explains the danger of crossing the water. The images are beautiful and creative. The art is well done and unique for a children's book.

Beautiful artwork punctuates this powerful story. The Paper Boat belongs in readers’ hands and I would gladly add it to my classroom library.

When I first read the book (through its pictures), I made up a story in my head. It reminded me of a potential teaching exercise of writing a story to pictures and then reading the author’s intent. I loved the use of ants as refugees, the completely visual storytelling, and thought the illustrations were superb.

Heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, tender, and nuanced - but above all, GORGEOUS. "The Paper Boat" illustrates a story inspired by the author's family's emigration from Vietnam in the midst of political unrest and the uprising of the Vietcong. Told from the perspective of a child, using a meaningful allegory that is further explained in the author's note, "The Paper Boat" dazzles with the beauty of its imagery and craft.

This is a beautiful illustrative journey of a family escaping war-zoned vietnam. This books is great for children of all ages and allows children to understand the difficult voyage of refugees without the complex conversation - instead only pictures. 

I look forward to finding opportunities to use this in my own classroom.