Words Between Us

Humor and empathy guide a Vietnamese American boy’s attempts to acclimate his grandmother to a new home and language in this tenderhearted title. When Grandma leaves Vietnam to live with Felix’s family, he makes his favorite food for her first special dinner: “ ‘Peet suh,’ Grandma said. It was her first meal in America and the first English word Felix taught her.” Shared activities deepen their connection, but when they’re briefly separated during a visit to the city’s biggest festival, “Felix didn’t like Grandma being scared” (“People were very nice, but they didn’t understand me,” Grandma notes), prompting Felix to begin teaching her English. Pham Krans and Ho build a well-paced story around simple scenes in which the two characters bond—looking at photos, playing music, caring for a pet, gardening—and experience moments when “they didn’t need to say anything at all.” Buoyant digital illustrations capture domestic family life and busy city scenes. A recipe for Vietnamese pizza concludes. Ages 4–8. [em](Oct.) [/em]