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Children's Nonfiction Cultural Heritage

Desde las copas de los árboles (From the Tops of the Trees)

by (author) Kao Kalia Yang

illustrated by Rachel Wada

Publisher
Lerner Publishing Group
Initial publish date
Aug 2023
Category
Cultural Heritage, Emigration & Immigration, Parents
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9798765609248
    Publish Date
    Aug 2023
    List Price
    $18.99

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 5 to 9
  • Grade: k to 3
  • Reading age: 7 to 8

Description

A powerful true story of a young girl who has never known life outside a refugee camp and a father determined to help her dream big, now translated into Spanish. At Ban Vinai Refugee Camp, Kalia spends her days playing with cousins, chickens, and dogs. When she asks her father if all of the world is a refugee camp, he climbs with her to the top of a tree so she can see the world beyond the fences that confine them. Yang's evocative prose is accompanied by atmospheric illustrations from Rachel Wada in a story that encourages readers of all ages and circumstances to believe in their dreams.

About the authors

Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong American writer, teacher and public speaker. Born in the refugee camps of Thailand to a family that escaped the genocide of the Secret War in Laos, she came to America at the age six. Yang holds degrees from Carleton College and Columbia University. Her works of creative nonfiction include The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, The Song Poet, What God is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Indigenous Women and Women of Color, andthe upcoming title Somewhere in the Unknown World. Yang has also written multiple children's books such as A Map Into the World, The Shared Room, and From the Tops of the Trees. Her work has won numerous awards and recognition including multiple Minnesota Book Awards, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor, an ALA Notable Children's Book Award, the 2023 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, Dayton's Literary Peace Prize, and a PEN USA Award in Nonfiction.

Kao Kalia Yang's profile page

Rachel Wada's profile page

Awards

  • Winner, Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Spanish Language Picture Books

Editorial Reviews

"In any language, Kalia's story is one of resilience and youthful awe . . . Along with such a moving true story, Wada's artwork underpins the poignant reality of Yang's words in watercolor depictions of Kalia's memories in muted yellows and bold oranges that help unfold the story."— Booklist

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