Yang Warriors - Kao Kalia Yang - ★★★★★

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AUTHOR: Kao Kalia Yang
ILLUSTRATOR: Billy Thao
GENRE: Children's Picture Book
PUBLICATION DATE: April 13, 2021
RATING: 5 stars.


Children are the fastest of adapters to change and the bravest under adverse circumstances. No other book exemplifies this fact so beautifully as much as Yang Warriors does.

Yang Warriors narrates one incident in the life of a group of young refugee children in the Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand. The children are of the Hmong background, and in the camp after their escape from the persecution in Laos. Led by ten year old Master Me, the children train daily for whenever time needs them to be brave. And soon, the day comes when they need to take a difficult decision.

Based on an actual experience from author Kao Kalia Yang's childhood, Yang Warriors goes to inspire bravery and hope in the hearts of the readers. Great children's fiction always offers valuable lessons that even adults can do well to imbibe. This is one such book.

I can't end this review without mentioning the illustrations. As a picture book, Yang Warriors needs to have fabulous sketches, and illustrator Billy Thao, an Hmong American himself, doesn't disappoint. Every single sketch is A-grade. The story is impactful on its own but is taken into a whole new dimension because of the illustrations.

A beautiful, beautiful book this, both in pictures and in words.

I received an advance review copy of the book from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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