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mat_tobin's review
5.0
Based on the true story of the author who moved from Busan, Korea to the USA forty years previously, this is a wordless picturebook which follows the transition and change that a young boy goes through as he emigrates from his home to a foreign country. The illustrations are incredibly clever and beautifully put together. I enjoyed how Kim uses colour and tone to depict the boy's feelings and frustrations and she also shows the world as frustrating and overwhelming at the start in much the same way Tan does [b:The Arrival|920607|The Arrival|Shaun Tan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312827620s/920607.jpg|905641].
It is the book's honesty that it welcoming. The transition is hard and quite upsetting to the young boy and could be a very valuable book for others who have undergone the same transition as well as supporting peers to see the world from their perspective.
It is the book's honesty that it welcoming. The transition is hard and quite upsetting to the young boy and could be a very valuable book for others who have undergone the same transition as well as supporting peers to see the world from their perspective.
dorayang's review
4.0
I found this book relatable on a basic level as an immigrant myself, however I found some parts quite sad: mainly the fact that the little boy had to (symbolically) lose his original culture in order to start enjoy his new surroundings in America.
I really liked that it doesn't have any words. I found it very unique and it provides different ways that people could interpret it!
I really liked that it doesn't have any words. I found it very unique and it provides different ways that people could interpret it!
heisereads's review
3.0
There is value in this immigrant story, and the connections some kids can make to it, though I found the style of the page layouts made it difficult to follow, especially for young children.
thebooktrail88's review
5.0
Whether you are a child or an adult, if you have moved from one country to another this book (all in pictures) will resonate with you. It’s a poignant story of the confusion of a small boy in a new and scary world.
If ever the saying ‘ A picture says a thousands words’ was true, then this is the book to prove that it is very true indeed. Each and every line in the drawing seems to have been considered with such grace and skill that the feelings of loneliness and overwhelming confusion are imbued in every stroke of the pen and brush.
Patti Kim herself emigrated from Korea to America when she was a child and this is explained at the back of the book. How lovely to have told this story in book form and to have given this as a gift to new readers young and old.
For those of us with experience of even living in a country for a short period, many of the emotions in the book will resonate, not least the boy’s expressions and sense of loss. The joys of the new world coupled with the confusion of it is neatly tied up here in stunning illustrations.
Ever felt the joy of a whole new world but then felt sad and confused when you can’t do even the simplest thing such as ordering a coffee as you don’t know the language or how to go about it? Think of this little boy who doesn’t understand the signs or the way on his way to school. The seed he has in his pocket is his way of holding on to some degree of certainty – a security blanket
Bookish musings
This book has no words but it brought me to tears – the fear and loneliness in that little boys face was very sad to see. The signås which appear gibberish at first soon become clearer and it was then that I started to cheer for the little guy as he becomes more confident in his new world.
This book is like a song which gets into your head and never lets go. Ever since I read it, it comes back to me and I see the boy in my mind and he has stayed with me ever since. I wanted to hug him and tell him that everything would be alright on many occasions and I would have done if it had been possible.
The book is so subtle that people who have moved countries will think the book speaks to them in ways that it does no one else. Its the small things that are weird in any new country – the everyday that you take for granted, the shock you feel when things are not the same.
The illustrations are simply stunning and the layout which is decorative and not just left to right adds to the way in which the boys thoughts are not clear cut. The story and pictures together pack quite a punch.
For old and young, this book is really a charming and poignant look at the immigration experience through the eyes of a child.
If ever the saying ‘ A picture says a thousands words’ was true, then this is the book to prove that it is very true indeed. Each and every line in the drawing seems to have been considered with such grace and skill that the feelings of loneliness and overwhelming confusion are imbued in every stroke of the pen and brush.
Patti Kim herself emigrated from Korea to America when she was a child and this is explained at the back of the book. How lovely to have told this story in book form and to have given this as a gift to new readers young and old.
For those of us with experience of even living in a country for a short period, many of the emotions in the book will resonate, not least the boy’s expressions and sense of loss. The joys of the new world coupled with the confusion of it is neatly tied up here in stunning illustrations.
Ever felt the joy of a whole new world but then felt sad and confused when you can’t do even the simplest thing such as ordering a coffee as you don’t know the language or how to go about it? Think of this little boy who doesn’t understand the signs or the way on his way to school. The seed he has in his pocket is his way of holding on to some degree of certainty – a security blanket
Bookish musings
This book has no words but it brought me to tears – the fear and loneliness in that little boys face was very sad to see. The signås which appear gibberish at first soon become clearer and it was then that I started to cheer for the little guy as he becomes more confident in his new world.
This book is like a song which gets into your head and never lets go. Ever since I read it, it comes back to me and I see the boy in my mind and he has stayed with me ever since. I wanted to hug him and tell him that everything would be alright on many occasions and I would have done if it had been possible.
The book is so subtle that people who have moved countries will think the book speaks to them in ways that it does no one else. Its the small things that are weird in any new country – the everyday that you take for granted, the shock you feel when things are not the same.
The illustrations are simply stunning and the layout which is decorative and not just left to right adds to the way in which the boys thoughts are not clear cut. The story and pictures together pack quite a punch.
For old and young, this book is really a charming and poignant look at the immigration experience through the eyes of a child.
emdoux's review
3.0
What a wonderful way of illustrating illiteracy, confusion, despair - and finally acceptance and friendship. This wordless picture book is chock full of the emotions of immigration.
This was a selection for the Butler Center's Mock CaldeNott - considering only picture books for children published outside the United States. Even though I wasn't able to attend the discussion, I got hold of all ten of the shortlisted books and quickly devoured them.
This was a selection for the Butler Center's Mock CaldeNott - considering only picture books for children published outside the United States. Even though I wasn't able to attend the discussion, I got hold of all ten of the shortlisted books and quickly devoured them.
leslie_d's review against another edition
5.0
Here I Am is wordless picture book, with a design familiar to comic books. A person can adopt their own language to the artwork, its sequence, and the emotions it evokes. In watching the child navigate the world about him, maybe they will see a bit of themselves in the story. The boy tries to see himself in this story he’s been thrust into. A world of sentiment is captured in that single panel of the boy touching the airplane window with the cityscape on the other side, distant and darkened like the panel itself.
I love the sequence in the airport, looking at all the different faces and then stopping and looking down into the reflective polish of the hard floor. Kim and Sánchez mind the details with just the right amount of attention. The text on the signs at the airport and in the city are a jumble of nonsensical letter combinations. The subway sequence lays frames over a transit map as the family appears mystified. The details are enough to express, but not enough to interrupt a compelling movement of panel and page.
Sánchez’s illustrations are loose line-drawing and layering of collage and pen. It’s lovely and apt. The story is one of movement, becoming, textured lives that layer and ink. I kept thinking of David Roberts, or Dave McKean’s Slog’s Dad.
The boy finds comfort in a little red seed he brings from home, both memories and new life spring up from it against a cool almost colorless palette. The seed is a lovely choice for this immigrant family being transplanted onto new soil. But the boy doesn’t plant it, and will lose it. Its loss finally gets the boy to leave his apartment and go out into his neighborhood to see and experience this new life around him. We come to understand that it is often fear that isolates us. The boy begins to find himself in his surroundings. He makes friends. Nature springing up and out amidst the urban setting.
The movement in the story from the cold hard urban surfaces and hues to warm curving planes and colors of people and nature is quiet and effective. He finds life and he can finally declare, “Here I am” (the only ‘dialogue’) it is in seeing his reflection upon the surface of water, standing on a bridge—other significant symbols in the immigrant experience.
Here I Am is cleverly done. This picture book is remarkable in many ways, but brilliant enough in the telling of an immigrant story that you’ll want to consider this one out of and in the classroom setting.
L (omphaloskepsis)
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/here-you-go/
I love the sequence in the airport, looking at all the different faces and then stopping and looking down into the reflective polish of the hard floor. Kim and Sánchez mind the details with just the right amount of attention. The text on the signs at the airport and in the city are a jumble of nonsensical letter combinations. The subway sequence lays frames over a transit map as the family appears mystified. The details are enough to express, but not enough to interrupt a compelling movement of panel and page.
Sánchez’s illustrations are loose line-drawing and layering of collage and pen. It’s lovely and apt. The story is one of movement, becoming, textured lives that layer and ink. I kept thinking of David Roberts, or Dave McKean’s Slog’s Dad.
The boy finds comfort in a little red seed he brings from home, both memories and new life spring up from it against a cool almost colorless palette. The seed is a lovely choice for this immigrant family being transplanted onto new soil. But the boy doesn’t plant it, and will lose it. Its loss finally gets the boy to leave his apartment and go out into his neighborhood to see and experience this new life around him. We come to understand that it is often fear that isolates us. The boy begins to find himself in his surroundings. He makes friends. Nature springing up and out amidst the urban setting.
The movement in the story from the cold hard urban surfaces and hues to warm curving planes and colors of people and nature is quiet and effective. He finds life and he can finally declare, “Here I am” (the only ‘dialogue’) it is in seeing his reflection upon the surface of water, standing on a bridge—other significant symbols in the immigrant experience.
Here I Am is cleverly done. This picture book is remarkable in many ways, but brilliant enough in the telling of an immigrant story that you’ll want to consider this one out of and in the classroom setting.
L (omphaloskepsis)
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/here-you-go/
michelle_neuwirth_gray9311's review against another edition
4.0
A really beautiful wordless picture book about a young boy moving to a new country with his family.
scostner's review
4.0
Wordless picture books are always such fun to explore and imagine the narration. This story of a boy who moves to a place that is strange and different shows how it feels to be transplanted in a new culture. Since it is wordless, it invites discussion as readers work their way through what they feel each illustration means. We must pay careful attention to every detail - facial expressions, body language, colors- so that we can understand the flow of the story. Slowly we see the child who is sad at leaving his familiar home come to enjoy his new neighborhood and make friends.
The Readers' Guide provided by the publisher is a wonderful tool for parents and educators. This would be great for a unit on cultural diversity or immigration. It could be used as a writing prompt for older students.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
The Readers' Guide provided by the publisher is a wonderful tool for parents and educators. This would be great for a unit on cultural diversity or immigration. It could be used as a writing prompt for older students.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
farkle's review
4.0
Words are imperfect, especially when there is a language barrier. Written as a graphic novel, the illustrations perfectly capture the experience of moving to a new place and making it a home. Allows littles reading it to find their own words for feelings to build empathy and understanding.
molliebrarian's review
4.0
Really beautiful book. Kind of a similar vibe to The Arrival by Shaun Tan, but would be shareable with a younger audience.