WOW Recommends: A Home on the Page
A Home on the Page by Kao Kalia Yang and illustrated by Seo Kim sheds light on both overt and subtle forms of racism and its impact on those targeted by it. The story begins with Nou, a young Hmong child, watching her mother trying to wash away a xenophobic slur from the family’s mailbox. The text, "Asians Go Home," remains until her father paints over each word, "one letter at a time." However, the pain inflicted and the questions of belonging cannot be removed from Nou's memory or heart.
She reflects on how these same feelings are an ever-present part of her life as she encounters microaggressions at school, each reinforcing to her that she does not belong. Feeling the weight of prejudice and intolerant words, Nou begins a quest to determine what it means to belong in a place that does not want you. She questions each of her family members asking where they feel that they belong. Each family member answers her in a different way, showing that belonging can be found in many ways. Nou finds her way of belonging through expression and creativity and releasing the words in her heart onto the page.
Seo Kim's soft yet deeply emotive illustrations add to the power of this picturebook. When Nou begins to contemplate her own sense of home and belonging, Seo introduces swirling lines that seem to pull the reader and Nou forward toward the understanding of her place in the world. The swirling lines burst from the pages of Nou's notebook and carry her into a hope-filled future as she realizes, "the words that pushed me down can be lightened and lifted." Seo Kim, a Korean artist and educator, shares in the Illustrator's Note her deep connection to this story. She recalls being the only Asian American in her elementary school and longing to find her face reflected in her dolls and the books she read. Drawing became her way to reclaim her identity and sense of belonging.
A Home on the Page is semi-autobiographical. Kao Kalia Yang moved to the U.S. from Thailand as a Hmong refugee when she was just six years old. The Hmong people do not have a country to call home. The first-person perspective in Kalia's poetic prose adds to the sensitivity and intimacy of the text. In the Author's Note, Kalia reflects on her first encounter with racism and discrimination as she walked down the sidewalk in a small town in Minnesota as a child. Her memories of this incident and seeking to free herself from the inflicted pain and create a sense of belonging were the inspiration for this picturebook. Kalia states, "I made a promise to myself: with everything I do, I will build a more welcoming world." Reading A Home on the Page with young people and reflecting on its message together provides the opportunity to do just that.--Recommended by Cynthia Ryman, Cal State Monterey Bay
Title: A Home on the Page
Author: Kao Kalia Yang
Illustrator: Seo Kim
ISBN: 979-8765619858
PubDate: February 3, 2026
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
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