This story is based on true consequences.

Before she dies, Kim's mother tells her that she will always be with her. She is killed as a result of the bombing of the area where they live in Viet Nam. Kim lives, but is blinded by the butt of a gun to her head. She is rendered blind. Rescued by American soldiers, she is taken to an orphanage where the love of Ong and Ba Jones, who run the orphange, she lives there for five years.

When she is afraid, Kim always remembers her mother's words and knows her mother is with her throughout. Told from the perspective of the American soldiers as heros, and therein lies a problematic depicture of who is the hero and who is the villian. Who is responsible for the bombing?
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Summary: This is a book about the Vietnam War and what one little girl goes through during that time. It speaks about how a little girl loses her mother and becomes an orphan and must go on.
Reflection: I think this is a really sad book. I didn't like exactly how the ending turned out. I would not have this book in my classroom. I feel like it would be such a heavy topic to speak about in class. ( )

This is a lovely, hopeful book about loss and how a young Vietnamese girl staves of loneliness and fear by remembering her mother's words before she died in a bombing of their village. ( )

A very sad and emotional story of a little girl losing her mother during the time of the Vietnam war. I don't think I would have this in my classroom.

The nostalgic story, illustrated with beautiful watercolor images, of a surviving girl from Vietnam rescued by soldiers who take her to an orphanage after the death of her mother and copes with her grief, based on the true story of the author, narrating strong themes such as death, depression and the consequences of war. However, this book idealized American soldiers as heroes for the Vietnamese people during war. ( )