Fall Reading 2013 Here I Am

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 author, Patti Kim, moved to the United States from Korea when she was only four-years-old, so she knows exactly how the boy in her book feels as he slowly gets used to his new home.

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. Art classes could also use it to study how the moods are created on each page through the colors and images used.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley. It was published on September 2, 2013. The publisher has made a video trailer for the book.