Here I Am

By Capstone Young Readers
Price $14.95
Age 5-10 yrs.

Here I Am is a marvelous collaboration between Patti Kim, its author, and Sonia Sanchez, the artist. This hardcover book contains no text. Through images alone it tells a story deeply expressive of the complex and varied emotions experienced by a young boy displaced by his family's move to a new and distant land. Everything is different - the people, language, buildings, food - and his feelings of isolation, sadness, and anger are intricately conveyed by the gorgeous, vivid pictures that grace the book's pages. The boy takes comfort in a seed he has brought with him from his homeland. Ironically, it is the loss of this seed that spurs him to venture forth and explore his new world. He meets people, experiences things up close instead of keeping everything at a distance. The result is a transition towards acceptance and enjoyment of this place he did not choose. Experiencing frequent, inevitable change is a natural part of growing up. The truth and beauty expressed in this book provide a touchstone, filled with emotional intelligence, that readers can use to help them navigate the changes in their own young lives.