Happy Book Birthday: WORDS BETWEEN US Plus Giveaway

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I am probably one of the luckiest people in the world – I get to share beautiful brand new books all the time! It’s like a party 365 days a year – and I’m so glad you stopped by to have some cake and sing a Happy Book Birthday welcome to WORDS BETWEEN US, written by Angela Pham Krans and illustrated by Dung Ho and published by HarperCollins TODAY!

The cover is AMAZING! It gives us all the best warm fuzzy feelings…and the art is bold, bright, and engaging! And the story…well…I’ve read it and you will absolutely love it!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:

From Angela Pham Krans (Finding Papa) and Dung Ho (New York Times bestselling illustrator of Eyes That Kiss in the Corners) comes a poignant picture book that tenderly portrays the intergenerational bond between a boy named Felix and his grandma that’s cemented over food—and flash cards—when Grandma comes to live with Felix’s family from Vietnam. Perfect for fans of Drawn Together. 

Felix and Grandma have always lived oceans apart—until the day Grandma arrives. Felix is so excited to meet Grandma and spend time with her.

Except she doesn’t know English!

And he doesn’t know much Vietnamese!

But maybe they can connect in other ways—like over their shared love of pizza.

One day, when Grandma gets lost and doesn’t know how to ask for help, Felix decides to teach her English. And by working together and teaching each other, they just might learn to share words as well.

This tender and heartwarming story from Angela Pham Krans and Dung Ho shows how love transcends language and how food and flashcards can bring family together.

And guess who stopped by to share a bit about her inspiration for this book? It’s author Angela Pham Krans. Welcome, Angela!

ANGELA
For many children who grow up in a different country than their grandparents, there is often a challenge around language and communication. I see this in my own family and families of different cultures.  But sometimes, it is the language barrier that encourages us to seek connection in other ways.  I have seen grandchildren and grandparents in my community create strong bonds over common interests, shared love of food, and those laugh out loud moments that only language barriers can create.  

Through WORDS BETWEEN US, I  wanted to highlight an intergenerational relationship bonded over food, shared experiences, and the continued desire to connect with each other and the community.  And through all that, creating a relationship that is loving, patient, and kind.  

Thank you so much, Angela. Children definitely need books like this!

Dear friends, there are several wonderful ways to help your favorite books succeed.
You can buy a copy – if you want a signed copy, you can order it from Angela’s favorite indie bookstore, Little Shop of Stories:  Words Between Us
You can review the book on Amazon.
You can add the book to your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf.
You can share this post on social media.
You can ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection.

And of course, you will want to leave a comment and share this post on social media to get extra tickets in the giveaway hat…a SIGNED copy of this beautiful book to one lucky winner! Maybe you can tell us an experience you had where language posed a barrier to getting what you needed.


30 thoughts on “Happy Book Birthday: WORDS BETWEEN US Plus Giveaway”

  1. This book sounds great! I love the idea of the language and word cards and family. I remember once being in France and asking for directions. I’m pretty sure they gave us the wrong directions on purpose (I speak a tiny, the tiniest bit possible, bit of French). It took forever to get where we needed to! But what a funny story! Congratulations, Angela!

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    • Thank you, Angie! I had fun writing this story. And I’m sorry someone would give you wrong directions on purpose, but glad you got to your destination!

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  2. Congrats on creating this heartwarming and relevant story. When my mom visited me in France, where I was studying, I made her a “cheat sheet” of French words spelled phonetically so she could go shopping and get her hair done.

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  4. Being “off the boat” back in the 1950’s, my mother with 2 young children came to America. The children learned English at school and like most new arrivals back then translated for the older family members. Eventually, Mom learned more by watching TV shows. Now, we still watch those reruns today and she still can recite some of the dialogue by heart. Great idea about the cards and your book will help the new people coming to the US.

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    • Thank you! My dad learned English by watch TV, listening to the radio and reading the newspaper. We taught my grandmother basic greeting words and she picked up food related words from my cousins and I chatting around her 🙂

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  8. Thank you for the chance to win a copy of this important book with a great take away. I have learned a few phrases in Japanese to greet fellow students in my exercise class that are here from Japan for a couple of years and always enjoy how this simple gesture brings smiles to their faces.

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    • Hi Danielle! You’re so right, these simple gestures can have such a big impact! I went to France this summer and made sure I knew a few French words to greet and thank people. It made people smile because they were expecting me to say it in English. 🙂

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  9. Love this! I had language barriers with my grandparents, too! Though, we rarely saw them, so we never were able to develop a relationship with them. But I love how you created one in this book. Though, when I was five, we had a woman live with us to take care of my baby sister, she spoke no English. But I distinctly remember walking around the house telling her the English word and she would tell me the Spanish word. I picked up the Spanish a lot easier than she did the English. But eventually we were able to communicate! 

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  10. What a wonderful story! I now live just four miles from three of my grandchildren, ages 7, 3 and 3 months. I moved 600 miles so I could watch – and help – them to grow up. We all speak English, so there’s no language barrier, but that issue makes this story even sweeter.

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  14. Years ago, when I was teaching adult education classes, a Vietnamese grandmother came to my class wanting to speak English so she could get a job sewing in a clothing factory. Through pantomime and pictures, she began to make progress. Then her family came one night and told me, in no uncertain terms, to cease teaching her English although they spoke it fluently. They made it clear that they only spoke their language at home, and there was no need for her to learn English. I saw the profound sadness on her face and have never forgotten that moment. Congratulations on your book, Angela!

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    • Oh my, hearing that makes me sad. I imagine learning a new language was exciting for her and it sounded like she wanted to continue working/trying new things.

      And thank you!

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