Starred Review Affecting illustrations and moving writing tell the true story of author Yang's experience with selective mutism that began when she was a young child. As a Hmong refugee, Kalia immigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was six. At home, they comfortably speak their native language; in public, Kalia observes her mom receiving demeaning treatment and impatience from others as she struggles to communicate in English. Kalia turns inward, feeling like she has a rock growing in her throat. She stops speaking at school, which no one notices at first. Confusion and misunderstanding eventually develop among her teachers and classmates. At the time, Kalia's family did not understand why she would not speak at school, and Kalia did not know either. Now, at age 43, in her author's note, Kalia reflects back and poignantly shares insight into her "revolution against [the] world," providing a powerful window into her lived experience. Digital painting using muted colors captures the somber tone of the story. Expressive facial features, use of scale, and sparse details evoke Kalia's feelings of loneliness and despair. A heartfelt story that teaches children about diversity and reflects difficulties with being different, understood, and accepted.

Based on personal history, per an author’s note, Yang traces a Hmong-speaking child’s experience of selective mutism. For the child narrator, “Recess is the hardest time of day,” a period of loneliness in which they turn to the natural world: “I am relieved when I see a feather on the ground.” At home, the child engages with family in Hmong, “a song, uninterrupted” that “flows and flows.” But “I don’t want to be like the many people who speak English”—including an impatient store cashier who “grew bigger and bigger” while “my mother and I grew smaller and smaller.” At school, the child’s silence goes unnoticed until a substitute teacher recognizes that “the only sound I’m able to make is a shaking cough.” Lin’s digital illustrations employ scale and perspective to smart effect; background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note and Hmong pronunciations conclude. Ages 5–10. (Mar.)

Gr 2–4 —Kalia is struggling to learn to speak English and when she sees people being impatient with her mother's similar struggle, the child decides that she won't speak either. Her parents want to know why she chooses not to speak, but she can't verbalize why, even in her home language of Hmong. Her mother says to her in the Hmong, "I don't know why you don't speak at school"; the translation is only found at the end of the book. The muted palette and graphic nature of the artwork give a feeling of separation and loneliness to Kalia's dilemma. The Hmong embroidery on the endpapers adds to a celebration of culture in a lovely lesson on communicating and finding one's voice. VERDICT This beautifully illustrated picture book fills a need in any collection on immigrant experiences.—Debbie Tanner