I Am Both

January 22, 2024
Leaning into onomatopoeia and desaturated images of daily rhythms, Greene, per an author’s note, bases this tale of a Vietnamese family escaping from Saigon on her family’s 1975 experiences. H˘uo˘ng is one of 10 siblings growing up in a bustling unnamed city filled with street vendors selling bánh mì and durian. At school one day, bombs continually shake the earth, but eating a bowl of pho back at home results in “SIPPING SLURPING MUNCHING drown out the worries of the day.” In the middle of the night, a sudden “SHAKE SHAKE” precipitates the family’s flight via a plane headed to America, where the protagonist takes a new name and where sounds new and familiar recur throughout a life in which “I am both Vietnamese and American. I am proud to be me.” Though the story lacks historical context for young readers, it effectively presents the constant sounds of war and home life as part of the everyday. Ages 4–8.

March 1, 2024
A young Vietnamese refugee searches for belonging. Onomatopoeia punctuates the spare text--the "STAMP STOMP" of footsteps, the "SWISH SWOOSH" of baskets"--as Hương's family rides to school, past b�nh m� carts and markets filled with durian. At school, different sounds interrupt the day: the "BOOM BANG POW" of bombs and the "THUMP THUMP" of Hương's heartbeat. It's only at home, over big hot bowls of phở, that Hương finds solace. A single night brings big changes as the family rushes to the airport, where they fly from Saigon to the U.S. "The music of the street is different here," with "the CLICK CLACK of shoes and the RUMBLE VROOM of cars." Greene methodically blends warm hues to create subtle shadows and textures that add to the gentle tone and emotional arc of the narrative. Despite the "TWISTS and FUMBLES" of using Hương's new American name, Jennifer, eventually "the letters and words become less strange," and Hương starts to speak up at school. After eating phở, which still brings comfort, Hương realizes that "I am both. I am both Vietnamese and American. I am proud to be me." This tender look at a difficult experience concludes with an author's note in which Greene discusses how her family traveled to the U.S. on the last commercial flight from Vietnam in 1975. A gentle tale outlining the loss and growth of a refugee. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)

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