Happy Book Birthday: WHERE WILDFLOWERS GROW Plus Giveaway

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I always love singing Happy Birthday to new books…and especially when they are debut books for new authors…like WHERE WILDFLOWERS GROW by Hà Dinh, illustrated by Bao Luu, published by Waterbrook. This is such a beautiful story…and Hà Dinh is a beautiful writer…in fact, the entry she submitted for the 2021 #50PreciousWords won spot #1.

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
A beautifully moving picture book that reminds us that wherever we move—across the sea or across the neighborhood—we can always keep growing . . . just like wildflowers.

After being uprooted from their home in Vietnam, young Hà is happy with her new life at the refugee camp. But today is Moving Day! And while the rest of the family is excited to head to their “forever home” in America, Hà doesn’t want to leave.

Leaving means saying goodbye to her best friend, her loving teacher, and the beautiful wildflowers she picks daily. She’s not ready for yet another change. Who will play the game Ô Ăn Quan with her? What if she can’t master speaking English? 

Can Hà carry the best parts of her beloved camp with her? Can wildflowers grow in America too? 

Inspired by the author’s childhood, Where Wildflowers Grow explores the emotional struggle of moving and the joy in discovering there’s always hope in new beginnings.

Look in the back of the book for pictures and details about the author’s journey to America, as well as rules to play the game featured in the story!

ME: Now, we are very fortunate today… Hà was kind enough to stop by to chat with us and answer the questions we usually include in the Will Write for Cookies posts. Welcome, Hà – it’s lovely to have you here!
Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child? 

Hà: Thank you so much for inviting me, Vivian, and thank you for helping me celebrate the launch of my debut picture book!
Eric Carle will forever be my favorite author as a child.  From the first time my Kindergarten teacher read BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR to me, I was completely fascinated with his beautiful and unique artwork and joyful storytelling.  As a child who was learning English at the time, his books helped me learn how to read as I fell in love with reading.

ME: What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing? 

Hà: There is a lot of rejection in the publishing business.  I try not to take it personally and to keep on writing.  I realize over time that writing from my lived experiences helps me to write my personal best, and even if it’s not sold, it’s still a story that I am proud of.

ME: Where do you like to write – inside, outside, special room, laptop, pen and paper? 

Hà: I prefer to write on my laptop or even on my smartphone in my bedroom.  There is something very comforting and calm when I am working in my bedroom that helps me to be more creative, descriptive, and immersed in my characters’ lives.

ME: When do you write – early morning, late in the day, middle of the night, on schedule, as the muse strikes? 

Hà: I am a night owl so I prefer staying up late to write when my kids are asleep.  The hardest part for me is to get my ideas written down the way that I envision the story to play out.  Therefore, whenever inspiration strikes, I write until I run out of words to say.  

ME: Why do you write for children? 

Hà: As a mom of young children and first grade teacher, children are at the heart of all of my stories.  They inspire me to share my childhood experiences as windows into my Vietnamese culture and mirrors for those who share the same traditions.

ME: Also, if you have any thoughts or advice for aspiring writers, please share. As well as anything else you want to talk about that parents, educators, writers, librarians might want to hear.

Hà: From the time that I left the refugee camp at 5 years old, I carried this story and the memories of the refugee camp that inspire this story in my head and heart.  However, as a child, I didn’t think that these memories were special or even special enough to be told.  It was until I lost my mom in 2020 that a voice inside my head told me that I needed to find a way to preserve our family’s history and journey to America for my own children.  But the more that I wrote, the more I realized this story is important not just for my children but for all the children in the world who want to understand more about the experiences of refugees and especially, for those who have experienced being a refugee themselves.

WOW! Thanks you so much for these important words…I’m so sorry you lost your mom – but I’m truly grateful you made the decision to write and share the stories of your childhood and the stories of your heart.

Dear friends, Hà is generously offering a copy of WHERE WILDFLOWERS GROW as a giveaway (U.S. addresses only, please.). Make sure you leave a comment. Maybe you can tell us if you and a childhood friend ever gave each other tokens – and do you still have whatever it was?
Don’t forget that authors and illustrators need your support – you can buy their books, review their books on Goodreads and Amazon, you can tell friends about their books, and you can ask your library to purchase copies for their collection. I hope you do at least one or more for this book!


Here’s a little bit about Hà:
Hà Dinh wanted to be an author from the moment she first held a book in her hands. She is the wife of her high school sweetheart, a mother of two, the founder of the Happy Days in First Grade teaching blog, and an elementary school teacher. Hà seeks to inspire kids to share their own stories and make a positive impact in the world.
And here is how to connect with her:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/hellomrsdinh/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hellomrsdinh

By the way, I asked for a cookie recipe and Hà shared this Cookie Confession:
“I wholeheartedly love Pillsbury Ready to Bake Frozen Cookie Dough. The fact that it’s super delicious, already made, and easy for me to place in the oven, makes my heart happy every time. I wish I had a better cookie recipe, but I just love these so much instead.“

My daughter loves those, too! And yes, they are delicious!!!

Please remember to leave a comment…and SHARE this post on your social media to spread the word about this beautiful book that launched TODAY! Extra tickets in the giveaway hat for sharing!

26 thoughts on “Happy Book Birthday: WHERE WILDFLOWERS GROW Plus Giveaway”

  1. What a lovely young woman is Ha. I have a lovely Vietnam daughter in law that my 5th son married and she is marvelous (have 6 sons and 3 daughters + 30 grand kids and 4 g,g kids). This sounds like a very touching story. I also write children’s stories. I published my first one, a true story ‘Jonathan and The Dragon’ near 3 years ago and have art started on another and 3 more needing art (art is a big cost).

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    • Hello Julie! Welcome to Picture Books Help Kids Soar! And thank you for sharing about your family AND about your writing. Congratulations on JONATHAN AND THE DRAGON! Many people say they are going to write a story and get a book published…but most don’t follow through. I’m excited that you are working on more books!

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      • Thank you so much for replying and your comments. I as the eldest of my siblings would make up stories when we were in bed at night. From age 7, I was making up stories for them. My mum also did. My dad was a genius and at age 7 he was reading the dictionary. Every Saturday after all the jobs were done we would sit and talk about religion, philosophy, history and books. My mum took us to ballets and concerts and mannequin parades and she looked like a ballerina and could do every sport. (Dad could read every book) She lived to 92 and still had lovely long black hair. She was part Hungarian and dad was part German and I also have convicts on his mum’s side. Family history is full of stories to be told. I have 9 children and 30 grandchildren and so far 4 great grandchildren (another on the way). I have also outlived 3 husbands. I am 77 now. I have been published in a number of anthologies and been in writers groups. Thank you for your site. Julie I use the name Julie Y Check for my children’s books. ‘Julie Y Check – Star Changer’ is my site on internet.

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        • Thank you so much for your kind words, Julie! I hope this story resonates with those who have walked a similar path as mine or have struggled with relocating.

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    • Thank you so much for reading this post! When I sit to write, my mind races with so many ideas. I have to type to write my stories, otherwise, I won’t be able to read my writing afterwards. 🙂

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  4. My husband and I are on a road-trip right now. The wildflowers along the highways, back roads, and in the parks are gorgeous. I’m looking forward to reading WHERE WILDFLOWERS GROW. When I return home, I’ll enjoy some wildflowers that I planted from seeds given to me from my brother, who gathered them from our childhood home.

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    • Yes! This year’s wildflowers are blooming so beautifully across the America! I’m grateful for the rain we have received and the Earth is rejoicing with the gift of wildflowers for us to enjoy! Hope you are having a wonderful road trip!

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  7. Congratulations on your debut! This book sounds so touching, I’m teary-eyed just reading the description. I’m so happy your story is out in the world. I look forward to reading it! Love the illustrations too!

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  9. This book is beautiful! The need for readers to understand and learn about refugee camps is great and this looks like a gentle introduction to this knowledge. I wish I had exchanged a token with my childhood best friend, but I still have wonderful memories of our sleep overs and time spent playing together.

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  14. I am the librarian at a Title 1 rural elementary school. This past year we had families from Ukraine. I looked for books to read to my student population to help them try and relate to being a refugee. I would love to add Where the Wildflowers Grow.

    And I did share tokens with friends when I moved. I still have half of a best friend necklace I was given over 45 years ago. And we are still friends.

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  15. Decades after moving overseas, a long lost school friend found me on Facebook and messaged me. She still had a silver ring I had given to her as a birthday gift.

    This books sounds lovely, a story to help not just refugees but also those who receive them in their new countries. I wish I had a copy back when I taught ESL to refugee children.

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    • Thank you so much for sharing this! My heart melted reading your post! It’s so true that the some of the best relationships we will ever have are the ones that we made in childhood. The inspiration for the friendship between Ha and Chau was from the friendships I saw my siblings had with their friends at the camp and the childhood friendship that I had with my best friend in first grade. I wrote this story because I wanted it when I was a kid. I hope many children will love this book as much as I loved writing it!

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  17. I can’t wait to read your beautiful book – I can tell it comes from your heart. I recall taking special care of a friend’s special hedgehog overnight. I wanted to keep him!

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