Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This is a beautifully told story of how we can help each other, and some of the every day struggles people might face in just being able to communicate with one another. There is a large international population at my school, so I plan to purchase several copies of this book because I think my students will truly be able to see themselves in it and relate to the story.

‘The Words We Share’ with story and art by Jack Wong is a picture book about a young girl helping her father navigate in a new country.

After Angie and her dad moved to Canada, she learned English, but her father didn’t. She helps him read labels, menus and anything else he can’t read yet. When her dad needs her to write a sign for his work, it leads Angie to a way to help with her translation skills. When a client is unhappy with Angie’s work, she finds out some surprising things about her father.

I loved this story about the unique problems that immigrant children may need to solve. The illustrations are great and so is this heartwarming story.

In the picture book The Words We Share by Jack Wong (Annick Press, 2023), the child narrator, Angie, tells how she is the one that helps her father with basics of communication in their Canadian community because he is not comfortable or fluent in English. Angie finds she can help the entire community, and to her surprise, her father is able to do so as well, even with his lack of English.

The book nicely captures the difficult reality of life for a non-English speaker in our modern-day society. I loved Angie’s support for him and how his own language abilities helped Angie in a difficult situation. The illustrations appear to be digitally created, with pencil outlines, and many pages feature Cantonese text. The entire book presents as a timely and clear

In the author’s note to the picture book, the author says that in working with his Cantonese-speaking mother, they decided that the translation for the title of this book would be The Heart in a Different Language, and I truly love that title to capture the essence of this sweet book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Beautiful illustrations accompany a touching story of a young girl helping her dad navigate their world after arriving in Canada from China.

One day, her father asks for her help creating signage for his workplace -- he knows what the signs should say, but can't write them in English. After this, Angie decides to help businesspeople in her neighbourhood by creating signs en English for them, too.

When the local laundromat owner has an issue with one of her signs, it's her dad who resolves the problem, translating back and forth for Angie. It's a lovely, sweet book about people helping one another and gaining new perspectives on each other.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Annick Press Ltd. for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Immigrant kids learn English more quickly than their parents and so often have to translate for them. This role-reversal can be demeaning for the parent and burdensome for the child, but Jack Wong shows that there's more to communication than knowing the right words. His illustrations have a graphic novel feel to them and they make the story very approachable. The text is everything that's needed but no more, making it crisp and clear to read. I love that the father's words are written both in English and Chinese.

Simple, beautiful, brilliant and universal.

#Netgalley #Annick #JackWong

I received a copy of The Words We Share by Jack Wong from Annick Press in exchange for an honest review.

In The Words We Share, Angie helps her father out whenever he needs to communicate with those who speak in English. When the two arrived in Canada, they both had little English but through school, Angie has learned a lot and can now help her father out as they continue to speak in Cantonese with one another. When Angie helps her father make signs in English for his workplace where he works as a janitor, she comes up with an idea to help local businesses in the areas who may also need English signs. When a mistake occurs due to one of her signs, her father goes with her to resolve the matter - not through Cantonese, not through English, but through a language that Angie cannot understand. Turns out that Cantonese is not the only language her father is fluent in - he's also fluent in Hakka, a different Chinese dialect.

What a beautiful story about languages and the immigrant experience. I really liked how languages were what connected Angie to her father and the new country that they are now living in. Throughout the story, we see Angie's father relying on Angie a lot due to the language barrier but how it is through her father, that she is also able to face her difficulties and problems. I think that Angie and her father's experiences are ones that will resonate and connect with many others, as it did for me. It was such a pleasant surprise for me personally as my father's family does speak Hakka - or rather my paternal grandma did. And while she could also speak Cantonese when I was growing up, she started to only speak in Hakka near the end, and I had to rely on my dad and uncle to communicate with her.

The cover and synopsis for Jack Wong’s upcoming children’s picture book The Words We Share, immediately drew me in. I found it extremely relatable because it was so representative of what a lot of children of immigrants experience or have experienced. (Like me!)

The story follows a young Asian-Canadian girl, Angie, who helps her dad translate between English and Chinese after having recently emigrated from China to Canada. After helping him make signs for his work, she decides to help out business owners in her community who also need help translating signages.

I loved reading The Words We Share — from reading the narrative and looking at the beautifully illustrated pages, which are also illustrated by the author. It does an amazing job putting representation on what a lot of children of immigrants experience like helping their parents with a new language while also only learning it themselves. It also shows what adults and parents go through when they immigrate to a new country, like learning a new language, adjusting to new jobs, and finding a community from their own culture.

I would recommend The Words We Share to parents and teachers of early and young readers looking for children’s picture books with themes about family, the Asian-American/Canadian immigrant experience, and the power of language and communication. This book is a fantastic addition to add to your shelves if you are seeking diverse titles that are written (and also illustrated) by BIPOC authors.

Thank you Annick Press for providing me an e-copy on Netgalley to review. This review was initially published on NetGalley and Goodreads and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The Words We Share is an excellent story that highlights how children help their parents learn a new language. This story's authenticity is an excellent example of why "own voices" stories are so important. This picture book feels a bit like a graphic novel but it still very accessible as a read aloud. The characters are three-dimensional, and as the reader gets to know them through the story, they challenges biases the reader may have, especially the father. The Chinese characters are a welcome addition throughout the book. The illustrations support the story and give the reader a glimpse into Angie's family life and neighbourhood.

This book would be an excellent addition to a classroom or school library interested in diversity and having books in which children see themselves. It would also be an excellent spark for discussions about bias and inclusion.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. It is a sweet story of a girl and her dad. She helps him with translating English for him, but soon discovers he also speaks another language (a dialect from where he grew up in China). She gets to see her dad in a different light.

A beautiful story of language, love, and community. This story will appeal to so many children who find themselves translating for their parents and is a must have for all libraries so these children can find it.

+Digital ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.+

"I have to double-check the labels to make sure he doesn't buy pet shampoo by mistake, like that one time."

Angie, who has moved to Canada with her Dad from China, can speak more English than her father. So she does a lot of translating. After helping him with some signs for work, he encourages her to help make some signs for other Cantonese business owners in the neighbourhood. Trying to be as helpful as she can, Angie does her best to translate, finding that getting the nuance of the message just right can be tricky.

In this very relatable story, author/illustrator Jack Wong uses his experiences as a first-generation Asian-Canadian immigrant to share the meaningful connection between parent and child and the first languages in which so much of ourselves is revealed. Readers will appreciate that first languages are honoured within these pages and not tossed aside in favour of the language of the majority (as is often the case).

The Words We Share
by Jack Wong
Pub Date 10 Oct 2023
Annick Press Ltd.,Annick Press
Children's Fiction

Through Annick Press and Netgalley, I am reviewing The Words We Share:


It's nothing new for Angie to help her dad. Since moving to Canada, he relies on her to translate from English to Chinese. In restaurants, at the grocery store, and one day when her dad needs help writing some signs for his business, Angie is always happy to help.


As a result of her success translating her dad's signs, Angie offers her translation skills to others in her community. Her new business takes off, until one of her clients says he's unhappy with her work. Her dad offers to help, but she doesn't understand how he could. Together, they find a surprising solution that fixes Angie's problem in a way she never would have imagined.


I give The Words We Share five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I love this book! The Words We Share by Jack Wong is a subtly informative story about Chinese immigrants to Canada. Angie Tang and her father moved to Canada, and while Angie has learned English in school, her father still speaks only Cantonese. Angie helps him in many ways - when someone comes to the door, when buying groceries, etc. When her father has a job for his work that he needs help with, Angie gets a money-making idea that leads to her developing a thoroughly new perspective of her father.
The book is sweet, and the relationship between Angie and her father is devoted. There are Chinese characters whenever Angie's father speaks, emphasizing his lack of English and adding a delightful and educational element to the book. The Chinese title of the book is "The Same Heart in Different Languages," a label devised by the author's mother. What a glorious interpretation of the story! In a note from the author, he explains a bit about the Chinese family of languages. There are many dialects, different enough that the speaker of one only sometimes understands another. All use the same written characters, however.
The book is an exceptional illustration of the difficulties faced by immigrants and the beauty of a loving family. I have found that publisher Annick Press has many beautiful and informative books about various ethnicities.
Thank you to NetGalley and Annick Press for the ARC of this book.

The Words We Share is a book that shows how hard it can be for those who live in America but don't speak the language. The story focuses on Angie who, at an early age, had to act as a translator for her father who doesn't speak English. One day she is pushed to create signs for businesses with owners who need translations. I felt bad for Angie when there came to be an issue with one of her helpful deeds. I didn't care for how Mr. Chu treated her as a result of her trying to help. But I did enjoy the ending. I appreciated that there are many lessons that can be seen within this story. I can see it being used as a conversation starter for immigration, communication issues, language barriers, helping community, mistakes, and many others.


*Received though Netgalley for my honest opinion*

This was a sweet story of a young daughter helping her father and then her community bridge language barriers.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a Chinese native speaker who had to learn English upon arriving at a strange new country, the book warmed my heart. I could see a lot of bilingual families really enjoying reading the book together, with both Chinese and English words in the book.

My son and I loved this book, and I particularly appreciated that there was both English and a sprinkling of Chinese characters in there. The plot was simple enough, but there was a lot that my son and I were also able to discuss afterwards.

This heartwarming story follows Angie and she helps her father navigate their new country with the English she has learned at school. Angie helps not only her father but also her community as she makes sign in English for business owners in her community. I loved that this story shows how young people can make a difference and that small acts can have an impact.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.

Read this as an adult only and I still learned life lessons! I could definitely see my child reading and enjoying this cultural ethically lessoned book.