Wallpaper

by Thao Lam

New from the creator of Skunk on a String comes Wallpaper, a wordless picture book in Thao Lam’s signature paper collage style. It tells the story of a young girl whose family moves into a new house. Outside, she can hear other kids playing, but she’s too shy to say hello. So she picks at the old wallpaper in her room―revealing an entryway to a fantastic imaginary adventure world behind the walls.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Fantasy, Childrens, Canada, Fiction, Adventure

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Thao Lam has been creating pictures for as long as she can remember. For her, drawing has always felt as natural as breathing. She has an insatiable love for coloured and textured papers, which she uses to create her exuberant collages.

Passionate about children’s books, Thao is especially interested in visual storytelling. She draws inspiration from the stories she hears, from the beauty in everyday things, and from the work of the many illustrators she admires. As an art buyer for an educational publishing company, she has the opportunity to work with thousands of different artists from all around the world.

Since studying illustration for three years at Sheridan College in Toronto, Thao has developed her dual careers of illustrating and art buying. Her art works have appeared in publications such as Cricket and Highlight magazines. In 2008, she won the Highlights Five Pewter Plate award for verse illustration of the year. She has twice been chosen for the American Illustration Awards.

Reviews

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

All that lady in The Yellow Wallpaper needed to do was say "hello" to new friends...

[Amber Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wallpaper was a beautiful wordless picture book about one little girl feeling sad and left out while the other children are playing outdoors. She discovers a little tear in the wallpaper in her room where a bird escapes from. As she peels back the layers of wallpaper, she discovers more adventures waiting for her from birds and rainforests to monsters, frogs, sheep and eventually friends. Courage erupts after her adventures and friendship making in the wallpaper.
It is a beautifully created idea and book. I look forward to sharing this story with children for many years to come.

[Dna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wordless winner! I have borrowed this book twice already to read myself, and also presented it in a storytime. I definitely need to work on presenting wordless stories in STORYtime, but it was interesting how absorbed the kids were in the illustrations. They asked questions, commented, touched the book, and generally drew closer to stare at the beautiful collage-style illustrations that bring SO much texture and depth and general silliness to the story. What a perfect storybook!

[deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for any book crafted with paper cutouts or paper collage; I personally find the medium really beautiful and inspiring, so Lam's "Wallpaper" was a treat to read. Although the book is almost completely wordless, Lam still crafts a thoroughly engaging world that the reader falls right into. It's a word of vibrant colors and catchy patterns, and the book has a warm little message rooted at its center.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wordless picture book would make a fine learning tool for story telling with little ones and big ones! Very creative telling on how to make friends! Love the art work!
I received a free advance Kindle copy from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly wordless book with strong illustrations. Some interesting twists and turns in this story.

[Asho · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read about this book on a list of books to help children deal with big emotions. The review mentioned how the girl in the book is very shy and the book traced her growth from too shy to speak to her new neighbors to, ultimately, being brave enough to wave hello. I heard the description and thought that it was something that very shy L definitely needed to read.
I will say that both of my kids prefer picture books with text to wordless picture books (this one is almost wordless). And L, of course, insists that she's only interested in reading about puppies these days. Despite her insistence on puppies, though, she let me read this with her twice and I noticed her reading it on her own a few times as well. S read it with us once and was helpful in pointing out details of the illustrations that were telling the story. I asked L how the monster and the girl were feeling and she accurately described the emotions of the characters and was satisfied with the conclusion. Hopefully she can see herself a bit in the character and recall her bravery in reaching out to new friends.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me at hello, so to speak. I'm huge fan of wallpaper/printed papers, as well as collage. The endpaper hint at a turned-up corner revealing another world is another plus. Shyness is dealt with in many picture books, but this wordless exploration of an inner imaginative life serving to build confidence and curiosity feels fresh and effective to me. The encouragement for a shy audience to find themselves in the pages of this book makes it a must-have for every setting.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little girl moves and faces the challenge of making new friends. Peeling back the many layers of wallpaper reveals whole worlds underneath that she didn't know were there. A wonderful story of bravery in new situations and looking beyond our assumptions. Marvelous paper-cut illustrations look three-dimensional.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous wordless graphic novel. Yes, a graphic novel, with amazing paper cut graphics. It tells the story of the new girl in town how goes on a grand adventure through the wall paper in her room. It’s amazing. Pick it up, you and your kids won’t be disappointed.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

With vibrant illustrations, Thao Lam challenges readers to explore the depths of their imagination in considering what a young girl might feel while staring at wallpaper after a move.

[Peacegal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! A stunning exploration of imagination with a classic, timeless feel. This book will remind adult readers of some of the favorites of their childhood.

[Janet Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love the texture and colors of the collages contained in this book!

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful wordless picture book is the epitome of talent - starring Thao Lam's signature paper collage style illustrations.

A shy young girl moves into a new home, and being new, doesn't know any of the kids in her neighbourhood. She can hear them chatting and playing outside her window but she is too shy and apprehensive to go outside and meet them.

She feels so lonely and sad. She retreats to her room and idly starts scratching away at her wallpaper. As the tear gets bigger she discovers a portal into a magical world of strange characters and exciting adventures.

While visiting there she interacts with flying birds, frogs splashing about in their pond, and a flock of funky looking sheep. Then the unthinkable happens... she finds herself in danger (or so she imagines) by an alien-like monster who starts chasing her. Oh my! She is very frightened and runs to get away from him. Then it dons on her that he is not threatening her at all but only wants to befriend her. She does an about turn and bravely approaches him and says "hello!" Thereafter they romp and interact and have a wonderful happy playtime together.

When she returns to her reality in her bedroom she discovers she has been emboldened by the wallpaper encounters and with a courageous heart she approaches the kids outdoors and says, "hello!"

This book is perfect to share and discuss. It will encourage and inspire kids to overcome their fears, overpower obstacles and step out into life and say "hello!" The illustrations are truly amazing and I love the interaction between the little girl's imagination and her reality. "Wallpaper" is creative on so many levels and a book I highly recommend.

[Brooklyn || The Wild Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wordless picturebooks should not be overlooked, and Lam's "Wallpaper" is no exception. Flowing through the pages of this book takes readers on an emotional journey of how a young girl finds a sense of courage. As someone who is an ultimate introvert and occasionally feels the plight of social anxiety, I felt such kinship to our protagonist. The young girl sees other kids playing in a tree house outside her bedroom window, but quickly hides when they spot her. In her shyness, the girl begins to peel back layers and layers of wallpaper in her bedroom, eventually finding a whole world, complete with imaginary friend. However, after eating lunch, the young girl finds her imaginary friend has left. Realizing her courage and desire for friendship, this brave protagonist treads outside to say hello to the children in the tree house.

Lam does a brilliant job sharing this story through illustrations, including the use of graphic novel-like gutters. The subtleties in changing facial expressions and body language capture the changes in characters' emotions and propel the story forward. Meanwhile, unlike the popular wordless picturebook "Sidewalk Flowers," "Wallpaper" uses a vast array of colour throughout the book, which helps readers jump into the mind and imagination of our young protagonist. Overall, this is a brilliant new picturebook that readers both young and old will enjoy.

Thanks to NetGalley, I graciously read an advanced copy of this picture book in exchange for an honest review.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl who has just moved in is eyeing kids next door having fun but is too scared to go over there. She notices a part of the wall paper is peeling back and peeks underneath it…only to find a strange new world where she learns that strangers may not be scary monsters but future friends just waiting for you to say hello.

This book is almost entirely wordless. There are a few sound words, and one hello. That’s it. The rest of the story is told through Lam’s brilliant and imaginative collages. Meeting new people comes naturally for some kids (to the point their parents wish they wouldn’t say hello to every single stranger that crosses their path) whereas other kids struggle with gathering the courage to say hello. This book uses symbolism to communicate their very real emotions about meeting new people (and some adults’ too) and encourages them to at least try saying hello. As an introvert I definitely understand this little girl, but I also agree with the message. Don’t miss out on great potential friendships because of fear. So use this book to help encourage the little introverts around you and/or the kids who have moved one too many times and find it hard to make the effort to start new friendships.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wordless picture book tells the story of a little girl who moves to a new town. As the is unpacking her boxes, she hears talking outside her window and looks out to see three children in a treehouse next door. When they spot her, they wave but she ducks out of sight, shy to meet them. As she sits under her window, a small yellow bird made of wallpaper emerges from a tear in the room’s wallpaper. It flies out the window and the little girl peels more of the paper away and a flock of yellow birds fly out. She peels more and a jungle-like wallpaper is revealed that she steps into. Then a yellow monster appears and the girl peels the paper away to reveal the next layer. She dashes through polka-dots then watery blue and green with frogs, then black sheep. Finally the monster stops chasing her and sits there dejected. The little girl heads back and introduces herself to him. They play together until the girl heads off to lunch. Now can she meet the kids outside?

A lovely portrayal of being shy and needing to think through what to say when meeting someone new and prepare oneself for it. The wallpaper is done beautifully, the layers deep and rich. The entire book is done in paper collage, filled with layers, patterns both subtle and vivid, and offers a gorgeous depth that will have readers looking closely at the art. A superb picture book. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

[Emma Leeds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is being used for ELED 460.

Wallpaper is a 2018 wordless picture book written and illustrated by Thao Lam. The book was published by Owlkids Books, and has 32 pages. The book falls under the genre of fiction, maybe fantasy to an extent too!
Wallpaper features a girl alone in her room, hearing some other kids playing outside. Without words, the book is a lot of assuming and making educated ideas on what might be going on. Being too nervous/new to say hi to the kids outside, the girl tears back layers of the wallpaper in her room to reveal different vibrant, creative worlds, and eventually runs into some sort of big orange monster. The girl continues to run through her wallpaper worlds, away from the monster, until the monster is all alone and incredibly sad. The girl makes her way back to her monster friend and introduces herself. Eventually, the girl feels safe and confident enough to say hello to the kids outside of her window, thanks to her friend she met in the wallpaper worlds. This book is stunningly illustrated, each layer of wallpaper clearly indicates a whole new world, and brings so much dimension into the book! All of the work is wildly colorful and youthful, and it makes this book a lovely story.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many children are shy with strangers. Parents and caregivers can help those kids to find safe ways, non-0verwhelming ways, to start meeting new people.

Alternatively, there's the approach in this fantasy book.

It helps that the book is wordless. Readers can become so involved in watching Thao Lam’s paper collages, they may not bother to make up much of a story at all.

Nonetheless, others can tell more about the underlying story. A nameless heroine has moved into a new house with the rest of her family. Although can hear other kids playing nearby, the girl doesn't dare to say hello.

Instead she starts tearing at old wallpaper in her new room. This allows her access to a lovely adventure in an imaginary world.

PROBLEM. PROBLEM.

No matter how happy the ending, and regardless of how lovely the art, responsible adults might ask themselves, "Is this a good message for children? Especially shy children?"

I don't think so. I strongly don't think so. Developing an imaginary world is not a good way to overcome shyness.

Warning readers, I'm rating this book at only TWO STARS.

[Mia Martinez]

Thao Lam really brought a different read with this one. 'Wallpaper' is a picture book depicting different scenes and emotions with no words. The pictures are in collage form, they're descriptive and colorful. I love that this book sent a message to young readers of not being afraid to explore new things on your own and to find courage. The creativity behind creating this book was awesome and I haven't read a book like this yet! This book can be for 2nd grade and up I would say because there is a message within this book that might be a little hard to find for young readers. So I would say it is up to the reader. I would so include this book within my classroom because I believe this book would shock students and allow them to be more curious to find the message and maybe explore other picture books as well. I loved it!

[Mirallegro, Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Wallpaper" is a story about a girl in her new room with her new wallpaper who is nervous about making friends with the children next door. As a result, she takes a dive into her wallpaper and discovers a whole new world filled with birds, frogs and sheep but a monster keeps chasing her. The monster gets sad because the girl keeps running away from him so she decides to become friends with him. She introduces herself and they play together. This gives her the courage to make friends with the kids next door. I didn't really understand the book at first so I had to read it more than once. Once I understood the message of facing fears and finding courage, I enjoyed it. However, it was difficult for me to read without words which may hold true for students as well. I don't think I would use this book in my classroom because of this.

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wallpaper is a wordless story that's beautifully illustrated with paper collage art. It tells the tale of a young girl who has just moved into a new house, and is nervous about meeting the new children next door. Instead, she takes a journey into the wallpaper where she is chased by an odd yellow creature through several layers of amusingly decorated wallpaper before she realizes the monster just needs a friend.

Her friendship with the imaginary creature helps give her the courage to say hello to some potential new friends in the real world. I appreciate seeing shyness covered in a children's book, and I also liked the interplay between fantasy and reality. The different "worlds" in the different layers of wallpaper were also well done.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

[Bridgette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for a gorgeous wordless picture book.

The unnamed protagonist has just moved into a new home with her family and is nervous to make friends. While hiding from kids in a tree house she can see from her window, she notices a tear in the wallpaper and tugs on it and out pops out a yellow bird! From there, layers and payers of wallpaper are torn away and new worlds are visited, new friends made, but after she gets, she can't get back into the wallpaper world. Instead, she ventures outside and to the tree house to make new, human friends.

The artwork is gorgeous and the dimensions of the photo collage is stunning. A great addition to moving books, friendships books, and wordless picture books.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our main character, a little girl, finds it too hard to talk to the kids she hears playing outside. She might be shy or have social anxiety, but either way, she finds it much easier to stay inside by herself . . . until she sees something fantastic. Under her wallpaper are layers of worlds where she can be free and play! When a monster comes after her, she learns an important lesson about courage.
The art is splendid -- made of vivid collages that burst with color. There aren’t many words in this picture book, so the art is forced to carry the narrative, which it does effortlessly.
Perfect for children who struggle with shyness or social anxiety and need to see that the world is waiting to meet them! Recommended for children 4 - 8.

[Anna Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book can be enjoyed by all elementary students.

A young girl moves into a new house. Too nervous to make friends with the children outside she secludes herself to an imaginary world where she meets a monster. At first she's afraid of it, but they become friends. When she is no longer able to return to her imaginary world she decides to face her outside fears and go make friends with the kids outside.

This book deals with the idea of social anxiety, especially for someone in a new place. Many kids are faced with the fear of having to meet new people after being moved from their old life. Students can easily relate to the main character with wanting to stay in their own worlds but learning to move out of their comfort zone and seek friends.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nicely illustrated talk-about-the-pictures book. I have yet to try it out on my grandchildren, but when my children were young, a grew to dread certain books where I had to read the exact same words over and over. This could be a nice break. The adult must interact with a young child to discuss what they think is happening. I will see my 7 year old granddaughter in a few days and check it out with her. I suspect it is more appropriate for the other ones who are 3 and 5 but live in another state. Hopefully I can update this review with opinions from all three by the end of the summer.

Note: I won this book in a goodreads giveaway.

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are awesome. I found myself staring and savoring the magical blend of color and images. In spite of being nearly wordless, this book manages to capture perfectly how hard it is for a child to move to a new home. The main character, a young girl, sits miserably among moving boxes and longs to go over a meet a group of girls her age next door; she is just too shy and unsure what to say. That is, until she takes a magical adventure into the wallpaper in her new room. She meets a scary, yet gentle, monster who gives her the courage to approach her new friends. Just beautiful.

[Olivia Thames · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully composed of vibrant and textured illustrations, Thao Lam's "Wallpaper" could influence how you decorate your old or new guest room.

The brilliance of the plot is how it does not contain (nor does it need to contain) mass amounts of dialogue. The humor, the climax of our young heroine, and her resolution are fun, silly, and completely enjoyable!

A great opportunity for kids to discuss being shy, making friends, and adding their own dialogue to the thoughts and feelings we can only imagine our lead characters going through, "Wallpaper" will look good on any shelf and in any pair of hands.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lam's skill with storytelling is visually stunning, and one can only imagine the time it took for her to piece each spread together in this fantastic story where imagination flies. Through layers of colors and patterns and prints, and in graphic novel like panels, we read the wordless story of a girl who, too shy after moving to a new home to join kids playing in a treehouse next door, stays indoors, and instead, explores her new room. Peeling back the wallpaper (hence the title), she reveals another world with birds and monsters and more. A courageous work that looks at friendship in a fascinating new way.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shy girl moves into a new home, but is too shy to say hello to the children across the street. Instead, she peels back a layer of wallpaper and finds a world of imagination, mystery and the courage to try something new.

Gorgeous cut paper illustrations, and a great message to kids that when moving to a new, unfamiliar place it's okay to not want to go out immediately and make friends. Sometimes you need to build up courage and be alone first.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.