Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Friday, everyone, where today we have a beautiful story about the courage to begin anew as well as a giveaway you won’t want to miss!
But first, I have winners of a couple of previous giveaways to announce!
From the Perfect Picture Book Friday featuring her book AN ACCIDENTAL HERO: A MOSTLY TRUE WOMBAT STORY, the winner of Laura Roettiger’s giveaway of a 30 minute Zoom Ask Me Anything is. . .
UNKALUNG
From last week’s special Mother’s Day Perfect Picture Book Friday featuring CAMOUFLAGE MOM, HOW TO EAT A MANGO, SONIA AND THE SUPER-DUPER DISASTER, and OUR WORLD: ARGENTINA, the winner of the 4 book bundle is. . .
ROBDOBART123
Congratulations, UNKALUNG and Robin! Please email me (or use the contact button in the menu above) so I can get your prizes to you!
Today’s Giveaway – a signed copy of Ánh’s New Word: A Story About Learning a New Language by Hahn Bui – could be yours if you leave a comment on this post by Thursday May 23rd at 3 PM Eastern when I will randomly select a winner!
But now, to this gorgeous book which I am sure you will love!
Title: Ánh’s New Word: A Story About Learning a New Language
Written By: Hanh Bui
Illustrated By: Bao Luu
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, May 14, 2024, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-6
Themes/Topics: courage, family, new beginnings, kindness
text copyright Hanh Bui 2024, illustration copyright Bao Luu 2024, Feiwel & Friends
Opening:
“Every day when I arrive at my new school, my teacher says,
“Good morning, Ánh.”
Today I open my mouth, but no words come out. Heat rises
to my cheeks like when I bite into a tiny hot chili pepper.
Miss Mary Ellen places her hand on my shoulder. “Take your time.” Her voice is soft and gentle,
just like my grandmother’s lullabies. “It’ll get easier.”
Brief Synopsis: [from the publisher] “A child living in a Vietnamese refugee camp learns their first word in English with a little help from their teacher and grandmother in this heart-warming picture book based on the author’s childhood.”
text copyright Hanh Bui 2024, illustration copyright Bao Luu 2024, Feiwel & Friends
Links To Resources: We are lucky to have a word from the author, Hanh Bui!
Susanna: What would you like us to know about Ánh’s New Word?
Hahn: Ánh’s New Word is a story based on my childhood experiences at Fort Indiantown Gap, a refugee camp. I was a very shy child and Miss Marilou, my first American teacher, helped me to lean into my courage and embrace my voice in a new language. Her kindness inspired me to grow up to also become a teacher. I am grateful that I can represent the experiences of my younger self and refugee children who may be going through a similar journey. My hope is for all readers to connect with the universal emotions and themes in this book so they, too, can appreciate the impact of kindness.
A complete free ready-to-use Education Guide with fun and engaging activities for kids will be available at https://hanhbui.net/ for parents, teachers, and librarians to download by May 15th.
The back of the book includes a Note From The Author, and a Glossary.
text copyright Hanh Bui 2024, illustration copyright Bao Luu 2024, Feiwel & Friends
Why I Like This Book: This gentle story, touchingly told, is about the courage it takes to begin again in a new world. Ánh is smart – a good student who did well in school in Vietnam. Now in America, she finds English a challenge and is quiet where once she would have been the first to have her hand up. She can hear the words in her mind, but can’t seem to get them to come out of her mouth. Her teacher is patient, kind, and encouraging, and Ánh’s grandmother, who is also learning English, also helps her to see that trying can be rewarding. By the end, Ánh is able to say her first word out loud in English, and it empowers her to believe in herself. A charming story full of kindness and hope that anyone who has ever tried to do something new will be able to relate to.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊
And don’t forget, your comment on today’s post by Thursday May 23rd at 3 PM Eastern puts you in the running to be the randomly selected winner of a signed copy of Hanh Bui’s beautiful new book, ÁNH’S NEW WORD: A Story About Learning a New Language!
Susanna Leonard Hill 
What a lovely, touching theme and story, Ahn! I am looking forward to reading it with my five year old grandson.
This sounds like a wonderful story time book! Thanks for your inspiration and sharing your story.
Susanna, I love this book. Hahn has done a wonderful job capturing her experience in a poignant and easily assessible way. It is truly stunning.
This is true of so many students new to the United States. It does take patience, kindness and a “special” teacher. Thank you for sharing this beautiful story. It was also interesting for me to learn that so many of these students grow up to become not only teachers, but also entrepreneurs, having become mouthpieces for their family at an early age. ♥️
What a beautiful tribute to the importance of kind and empathetic teachers! Congrats to Hanh and Bao on making this beautiful book!
I love Hahn’s debut pb THE YELLOW AO DAI! Looking forward to reading this story, I know it will be heartwarming ❣️
Thank you for sharing your story that will surely be an important contribution to any child’s, family’s and library’s bookshelf. I only know of the Fort Indiantown Gap near me here in Pennsylvania where I live. I did some searching and I didn’t know it served as a refugee camp around 1975.
Looking forward to Anh!
I can’t wait to read this beautiful book. I love the story of learning a new language and finding the courage to try. Having empathetic teachers to encourage and support are so important.
Sounds like a touching and beautiful story. We are so thankful for teachers like the one portrayed in this story. Can’t wait to read it.
What a sweet – and relevant – story, one that’s bound to tug at hearts. I can’t imagine learning English as a second language. My hat is off to all those who do! And hooray for kind teachers, and all others, who offer encouragement, patience and support.
Such an inspiring story. The illustrations are so inviting
1!
I’m so looking forward to this book! Such a beautiful and inspiring story for children (and educators!) alike.
Hi Susanna, thanks for having me a few weeks ago. I’m looking forward to connecting with the winner if my giveaway. When Hanh told me about this book almost two years ago, it brought to mind stories of my former students who started with little to no English.
How sweet and hopeful! This sounds beautiful! Congratulations, Hanh!
This book looks and sounds so wonderful, sweet, and heartwarming. Congrats!! Can’t wait to read it!