GIBBERISH
by Young Vo
It’s Dat’s first day of school in a new country! Dat and his Mah made a long journey to get here, and Dat doesn’t know the language. To Dat, everything everybody says — from the school bus driver to his new classmates — sounds like gibberish. How is Dat going to make new friends if they can’t understand each other?
Luckily there’s a friendly girl in Dat’s class who knows that there are other ways to communicate, besides just talking. Could she help make sense of the gibberish?
Type: Picture Book
Pages: 40
Format: Hardcover
Publication: February 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64614-110-4
PRAISE
Charlotte Huck Recommended Book
Common Sense Media Selection
BEST OF THE YEAR
Kirkus · Parents · Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association · Chicago Public Library · Washington Post · Evanston Public Library · Los Angeles Public Library
★ “The execution is stellar, creating a viscerally uncomfortable experience while also infusing the narrative with humor throughout. A visually and emotionally immersive immigration story.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred)
★ “A delightful first day of school story. Beginning readers will love this book as the illustrations say it all. He has precisely captured the emotions of a child starting school in a new place.”
—School Library Connection (starred)
★ “This picture book brilliantly conveys how terrifying and confusing it can be to adapt to a strange country and how much even one person’s acts of kindness can help. This is a story that will give hope to kids dealing with a new country and could inspire others to reach out to struggling immigrant children.”
—Booklist (starred)
“Masterly. A tender reflection of what it feels like, after being socially on the outside, when linguistic connections spark and fizz, and one’s first few words (‘tree,’ ‘boat,’ ‘book’) suddenly multiply to equal ‘home.’”
—The New York Times
“Vo’s heartwarming immigration story is beautifully told, with multimedia illustrations that shine on each spread. This uplifting story is a welcome addition to any collection.”
—School Library Journal
“Artwork, though, fills in much of the emotional experience from Dat’s side of the language divide. He ideates the gibberish-spewing school community as black and white cartoon characters that stylistically recall George Herriman’s language-challenged Krazy Kat.”
—The Bulletin
“Splendid…A powerful story about compassion and finding one’s voice. There are an increasing number of picture books about immigration, but this one stands above the rest in its brilliant and deeply felt depiction of how it feels for children just like Dat.”
—Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
“Brilliant, metaphorical illustrations move from cartooney black and white to realistic color to illuminate Vo’s exceptional storytelling… It’s a must-share book that beautifully shows the challenges of language learning.”
—Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup
“The ingenuity and playfulness of the art, as well as the book's overarching message, make this title a must for any child's library.”
—Shelf Awareness
About YOUNG VO
Young Vo learned to draw before he could write. He drew a lot of characters, then began to write stories for them. There were not many job choices that he could make, so he decided to be an animator, illustrator, and author. Now he writes and draws his stories before the sun rises, then during the day, he animates. Follow him @youngvoart.
