From Laura Fabiani and Sandra Olshaski on their blog Library of Clean Reads:
Laura says “I highly recommend this book as a teaching tool and feel that it should be in every library. It’s books like this that will make history come alive for our next generation of children.”
And Sandra says “The soft-focus artwork done by Brian Deines that illustrates each page is amazing….The author has produced a very readable book that both parents and children should read together. I highly recommend this beautiful book.”
From Literacy Daily: “The evocative text and powerful illustrations, painted with oils, enable readers to feel as though they, too, are refugees adrift at sea during this risky journey to freedom.”
Sal’s Fiction Addiction says “The authors include personal photographs of Tuan’s family, before their escape and following their settling in Canada, to help readers understand this historical moment in time….Brian Deines (as he always does) has created truly beautiful artwork using oils on canvas to bring Tuan’s story to this book’s readers.”
Sherry Early’s Semicolon says: This nonfiction picture book opens with a bang. The illustrations in this book, full color paintings, are absolutely stunning….Brian Deines, has outdone himself in two-page spreads that bring this refugee story to life….[A] good introduction to the subject of the Vietnamese boat people…”
