Books of Wonder

Ánh's New Word: A Story About Learning a New Language

Ánh's New Word: A Story About Learning a New Language - Main image
$11.77 $18.99 In stock

Category: Signed Books

*Signed Copies, Available While Supplies Last!

A child living in a Vietnamese refugee camp learns their first word in English with a little help from their teacher and grandmother in this heartwarming picture book based on the author's childhood.

Many things are different for Ánh now that they've left Vietnam. The weather is colder and they live in a barracks at a refugee camp while they wait for their new life in America to start. Ánh finds comfort in their warmhearted teacher, Miss Mary Ellen, but has trouble with learning to speak English.

All Ánh wants is to be able to say "thank you" to Miss Mary Ellen, but will the words ever stop getting stuck between their head and their voice? With a little inspiration from their grandmother—as well as the chance discovery of an adorable animal—Ánh will try to gather the courage to finally say their first word in a new language.

Exquisitely illustrated by Bao Luu, Ánh's New Word by Hanh Bui is a hopeful story of finding your voice, inspired by true events from the author's childhood.

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Customer Reviews (5.0 / 5 · 5 reviews)

Richard ★★★★★

The story captures the anxiety and hope of learning a new language so perfectly, I got emotional reading it to my kids. The fact that it's a signed copy makes it an even more special keepsake for our bookshelf.

Charlotte ★★★★★

My niece is in a dual-language program and this story clicked for her immediately — the moment the teacher sounds out that first English word together is so gentle and true. The signed copy arrived quickly and feels like a little keepsake on the shelf.

Amelia I. ★★★★★

The scene where the grandmother helps the child sound out that first English word got me a little teary, and my six-year-old asked to hear it twice. The signature on the title page is a nice touch, too.