Here I Am

by Patti Kim, Sonia Sanchez (illustrator)

Newly arrived from their faraway homeland, a boy and his family enter into the lights, noise, and traffic of a busy city in this dazzling wordless picture book. The language is unfamiliar. Food, habits, games and gestures are puzzling. The boy clings tightly to his special keepsake from home and wonders how he will find his way. How will he once again become the happy, confident child he used to be? Walk in his shoes as he takes the first tentative steps towards discovering joy in his new world. A poignant and affirming view of the immigrant experience.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Family, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Cultural

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Patti Kim was born in Busan, Korea, and immigrated to the United States on Christmas of 1974 with her mother, father, and older sister. At the age of five, she thought she was a writer and scribbled gibberish all over the pages of her mother's Korean-English dictionary and got in big trouble for it. Her scribbling eventually paid off. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Maryland. She lives with her husband and two daughters who give her plenty to write about every day.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

To see this week's wordless picture books please visit www.readrantrockandroll.com

Here I Am is a wordless children’s picture book of one incredibly inspiring story of a child’s immigration to the United States.

A child and his family leave their home and move into a busy city in the United States. This is difficult for him and he struggles getting used to his new life in the city. He has a new school, new house, and is surrounded by new people. In his hand he carries a keepsake from his homeland which helps him along the way. He accidentally drops it out of a window and down into the street. He realizes in order to get it back he’s going to have to go outside and explore which might just be the best thing for him.

This is a story about starting a new life and overcoming fear of the unknown. We enjoyed all the rich, detailed illustrations and the author’s note at the end.

5*****

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A child arrives with his family in another country, he isn't happy about the move. He has something in his pocket that he drops from his window which forces him to go down to the street to look for it and at the same time explore his new surroundings and meet people.

It wasn't always clear what was happening and which picture came next, perhaps this was intentional to show that the boy felt confused? A page of text at the end of the story explained more. I would have enjoyed this book more with some text by the illustrations.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story about a child who struggles with the unfamiliar. He moves to a new country with his parents and at first is confused with the language, intimidated with he tall and unfamiliar buildings and surroundings and how by dropping a precious seed from his home country, he is able to discover the city he currently lives in.

[Eleanor Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunning wordless picture book open to offer a variety of stimulating book talk! A true story based on a young boy who's family moves country and displays the way he responds through images. I adore the way there are lots of images packed into every page showing every emotion and change in illustrative detail. My favourite part of the book is the 'seed' or as I interpreted it his heart from home leading him into explore to try new things. The journey this book follows is a great way of introducing a new child to the class or to explain that change isn't always a bad thing as the boy enjoys his life in the end!
This would be a really interesting book to introduce to KS2 as I feel it could spark up a lot of chat about inferences which is a really key skill children can transfer. Furthermore, it's something a bit different to a regular novel that they may be expecting to study and could provide a great starting point for some wordless picture-story replicas!

[Melissa Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wordless picture book highlighting the life of a young boy who has recently moved to new big city, where he feels alone by not being able to recognise any of the signs or speak the language. He keeps a small seed in his pocket that he uses as almost a comfort blanket, until one day he tragically drops it out of a window by accident. Determined to find his seed, the boy begins to explore the city and interacts with the locals. In the end, he finds his seed in the hands of a girl, who eventually becomes his friend and helps him plant his seed together.

[Izzy]

A young boy having to move from his hometown in Korea to a contrasting and unfamiliar city in America. It explores the range of emotions the boy goes through as he adjusts to his new life.

This wordless picture book couldn't be more relatable. As a 12 year old, my family and I moved abroad and at first I didn't want to be there whatsoever. Each day was a struggle and I dreamt of moving back. It wasn't until I explored, got to know my surroundings and made friends that it started to feel more like home. A good 'read?' for a class who is about to welcome a new classmate from another country!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wordless picture book removes some of the darkness (and dare I say creepiness of The Arrival) and creates another magical experience of being in an immigrant's shoes, especially a young boy. Delightfully engaging and experiences the sights, sounds, and feels without saying a word.

[Rory Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic picture-book, especially due to the fact that it takes two or three reads to really get to grips with. Personally, I would have preferred it without the synopsis at the end, as I feel this restricts readers from making their own interpretation, something I believe is incredibly important with wordless picture-books.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rationale:
Here I Am, written by Patti Smith and illustrated by Sonia Sánchez, tells the story of a young boy and his family who move to the United States. The boy is unhappy in his new home, where everything is strange and unfamiliar. One day, he is forced to explore the city in search of something special he lost. During this search, he discovers interesting people, new sights, and finds a friend to make him feel like this new place is truly home. In continuing my text set’s theme of being separated from loved ones, Here I Am portrays the loneliness and isolation felt by a new immigrant who wants nothing more than to go home, and the hope of creating a new home through friends and familiarity.

Text Connection:
Here I Am connects wonderfully to another text in my set, Juna’s Jar, as it explores making connections and friendships through shared everyday experiences and objects. In Juna’s Jar, Juna and her friend Hector are connected through their shared activity of placing animals and objects in empty kimchi jars. In Here I Am, the protagonist ultimately finds connection with a friend through a seed and shared activities in the city.

Discussion Questions:
Remembering— Why does the boy leave his apartment to explore the city?
Understanding— What pictures show the boy is unhappy when he first moves to the United States?
Applying— Compare and contrast colors at the beginning of the book to the colors at the end.
Analyzing— What events helped the boy to become happy? Why do you think those events made him happy?
Evaluating— Why do you think this book was written without words?
Creating— What would happen if the boy at the end of the book could give advice to himself at the beginning—what might he say?

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful drawings by Sonia Sanchez in Patti Kim's wordless story of a Korean immigrant boy arriving in NYC. Lovely. I love wordless books, too. Maybe little kids might like this one less for the lack of words, maybe not. But you get the sense of isolation and self-discovery from the wordlessness, too.

[Cam Duong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here I Am by Patti Kim is a wordless picture book about a boy’s story of struggle and eventual triumph in a foreign city and country. This book heavily relies on its vivid illustrations. The boy, who is from an Asian country, is seen looking out an airplane window looking very solemn in the beginning. He is clearly not excited to be in the new environment. The readers get to follow the boy through his days as he confronts confusion, loneliness, fear, sadness and isolation. He eventually finds a sense of belonging in his searches for his red seed and the little girl in which the seed fell on. Readers learn from this story that emigrating to a new country is always hard, but things will get better with an open heart and forming new bonds. This book is suitable for children of any age because everyone can interpret it differently, but the message is always the same in the end. The themes include immigration and multicultural friendship.

The illustrations are by Sonia Sanchez and I think it is brilliant because this is a wordless book, so the readers heavily rely on the pictures to make sense of the story. The water colors are rich and beautiful. Even though Sanchez is not part of the group represented, she does a great job with including an older woman in a hanbok in one of the flashback pictures. A hanbok is a traditional Korean dress, so readers who are Korean or familiar with Korean culture would recognize that the boy and his family came from Korea. The author is part of the group represented and this story is inspired from her own experience of moving to America from Busan, Korean.

[Carys O'Neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous picture book with no words that encourages children’s creativity and imagination. The words that there are on signs and maps are words that don’t make sense and this can be used as great talking points with children. The illustrations are detailed and can be used in guided lessons to create children’s own narrative. Each individual page could be given to a child to see the difference in interpretation.

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wordless picturebook - any age can read and interpret the book. Fantastic, detailed illustrations. I like how the author includes a summary/ description at the end of the book about why the book was written and the main character's story written in words that are based upon her family's life. I think the book could be related to all children from all circumstances. Would recommend this to children.

[Victoria Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wordless picture book that portrays the journey of a boy moving to America from Korea. To understand and appreciate fully, it takes a good few minutes exploring each page, but it was a really lovely read.

[Jolynne Dougherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home sickness, fitting in, patience - our protagonist finds themself in a new place, a new country with new words. I really like how the illustrations tell the story. At the beginning of the book, the word on the stop sign in illegible, but by the end of the book, we can read the writing on the illustrations. This would be a great book to read about making changes, trying something new and moving.

[Raf · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Here I am" is a great picture book for students who are dealing with being transplanted to the United States. The book has very little text because it is supposed to signify the confusion, angst and the fact that being able to read and understand what is being said. The book is a great resource to start discussions about what people experience and feel when they have to move to the United States from countries of different cultures. Even though the book starts off negatively, reflected by the pictures it ends with the main character, who is an Asian boy, finding friendship in a girl who is African-American. The book celebrates diversity, friendship, and perseverance in his attempts to make sense of his new country. The book is appropriate for primary students as well as students of all ages who just came to the United States and need reassurance.

[Thebooktrail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you are a child or an adult, if you have moved from one country to another this book (all in pictures) will resonate with you. It’s a poignant story of the confusion of a small boy in a new and scary world.

If ever the saying ‘ A picture says a thousands words’ was true, then this is the book to prove that it is very true indeed. Each and every line in the drawing seems to have been considered with such grace and skill that the feelings of loneliness and overwhelming confusion are imbued in every stroke of the pen and brush.

Patti Kim herself emigrated from Korea to America when she was a child and this is explained at the back of the book. How lovely to have told this story in book form and to have given this as a gift to new readers young and old.

For those of us with experience of even living in a country for a short period, many of the emotions in the book will resonate, not least the boy’s expressions and sense of loss. The joys of the new world coupled with the confusion of it is neatly tied up here in stunning illustrations.

Ever felt the joy of a whole new world but then felt sad and confused when you can’t do even the simplest thing such as ordering a coffee as you don’t know the language or how to go about it? Think of this little boy who doesn’t understand the signs or the way on his way to school. The seed he has in his pocket is his way of holding on to some degree of certainty – a security blanket

Bookish musings

This book has no words but it brought me to tears – the fear and loneliness in that little boys face was very sad to see. The signås which appear gibberish at first soon become clearer and it was then that I started to cheer for the little guy as he becomes more confident in his new world.

This book is like a song which gets into your head and never lets go. Ever since I read it, it comes back to me and I see the boy in my mind and he has stayed with me ever since. I wanted to hug him and tell him that everything would be alright on many occasions and I would have done if it had been possible.

The book is so subtle that people who have moved countries will think the book speaks to them in ways that it does no one else. Its the small things that are weird in any new country – the everyday that you take for granted, the shock you feel when things are not the same.

The illustrations are simply stunning and the layout which is decorative and not just left to right adds to the way in which the boys thoughts are not clear cut. The story and pictures together pack quite a punch.

For old and young, this book is really a charming and poignant look at the immigration experience through the eyes of a child.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here I Am is one of my wordless book choices. I LOVED this book. I looked through it for the first time and it seemed cluttered and packed full of illustrations. It was a little overwhelming when trying to find the story to have so much for the eye to look at. But upon a slower, second look, it was a charming story of a boy who moved to New York City from an Asian country (I would assume Korea, because the author immigrated to the States herself when she was a child). At first everything is completely unfamiliar and he feels alone in this strange new place. He has a seed that he has brought from his country and carries it with him everywhere until one day he drops it out a window, and a little girl makes off with it. While the little boy is looking for the girl and his red seed, he discovers that the city is a fantastic place and not all that much unlike his previous home. He ends up "finding himself" in his new home.

I would use this book in a classroom of more mature or older elementary children. Because the pictures are complex I think it is a little harder to grasp exactly what is going on. I don't think it would be a good book to read in a big group, maybe in small, teacher guided groups so that the students pick up on some little hints as to what is happening.

Here I Am could be easily related by text to self. Probably all of the children have moved to a new street, school, city, state or even country where they had to navigate new territory and make new friends. Even if it is just going from third grade to fourth grade, every child has had to deal with some kind of change in their life. It would be easy to relate text to world as well. In the book the boy eventually figured out that New York City was a lot like his previous home. There are things that are common in most cities or towns if you look around. I think older students could make those kinds of connections through this book. Because this is a wordless book, it allows children to use their imaginations to fill in the blanks and relate it to other books that they have read.

[Ellie L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kim and Sánchez show the journey of a boy arriving and setting in a new country. The illustrations really interested me in this, scattered in an almost collage-like formation, with no sense of order. There is such a frenzied feeling of loss of control, and the reader is placed in a similar position of disorientation as they try to decipher the events. To me, this felt quite similar to ‘The Arrival’, but I think that having the addition of colour makes the new transition all the more overwhelming. It is really interesting to watch how the positioning of Sánchez’ illustrations alter as the story progresses and the protagonist becoming more comfortable in his new home. This would be excellent for making inferences, which is only heightened by the accessibility brought about by the lack of words- I can imagine some super book talk about the meaning behind shapes and layering.

Letting go of a part of your past is a difficult thing, and sometimes people need to be pushed into moving forward. Clinging to a small seed from his homeland, a sudden loss causes the child to take a step into this new world. What appeared to be a devastating event was ultimately a positive, as this gentle push helps him to make new relationships. Here, he finds himself able to have fun, despite lacking confidence and having lost his sense of self. This is an important message that would benefit any child, that whilst we may feel scared, it is in immersing ourselves in the outside that we can find ourselves.

[Emilia P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being far from my home, in a country where all signs look like gibberish to me, not really knowing where to start enjoying my world and making friends, I felt for the little dude at the heart of this story. It's tough, little dude! And it feels all jumbled together, and weird, and insurmountable.

But look, here is a friendly neighbor sitting outside! Here is another kid playing sidewalk games! Here is a beautiful park with laughing families not unlike your own. Things will be ok! The world is a beautiful place and there are friends to be found everywhere!

Here I Am is sort of a dreamland spin around New York City through the eyes of a nervous young Korean immigrant, a wordless journey through airports, subways, and Central Park. It's a heartening and interesting visual exercise for anyone whose ever felt out of place -- Sonia Sanchez does a great job illustrating the jumbleness of the frustrated, frightened mind, and how beautiful, orderly, and free-flowing things can feel when things start getting better and feeling easier. Although I understand the significance of the wordlessness here (the boy doesn't speak English, he feels like he's without words in this new environment), I still think it could have strengthened the narrative and given the book a bit broader of a readership. Not everyone is ready to latch onto a purely visual (and visually complicated tale). But I am, and am glad I got a chance to "read" this book.

[Edie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a poem in illustration. The back flap says it is the immigration experience of a young boy but as I followed the adventures of the main character I thought it was a girl....so clearly this is a universal experience. Sanchez captures the confusion, the anger, the feeling of being an outsider and a loner, with illustrations that are a bit out of focus, a bit undefined. The reader cn tell the story....
lots of discover here, lots to talk about in a wordless book.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book that depicts the worries and frustration of being somewhere different and not fitting in. I appreciate the scrambled language signs and how it demonstrated how disorienting it might be.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wordless story with evocative illustrations that effectively captures the confusion, anxiety, and hope of a young new immigrant.

[Lorena Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

WORDLESS BOOK #2:

"Here I am" is a realistic fiction book written by Patti Kim. Realistic fiction is when a story uses made up characters in situations that could happen in real life. This book would be great for primary those in pre school-3rd grade. Here I am tells the story of a boy who comes from an Asian land to a big U.S. city. its a story that I am sure many children can relate to.

TEXT TO SELF: I migrated from Mexico to the US at a very young age, and I found myself being able to relate to the boy in the story in so many ways. At the beginning of the book the main character is extremely sad about moving to a place far away from home. When my family decided to migrate to the US we left all of our family, and friends to find better opportunities, that being said I was not happy about leaving. Throughout the book we find that the boy cherishes a red seed he has evidently brought from home. To this day I have a blanket that my grandma knitted and sent with me before we left and it is something very special to me because it reminds me of a place that was once my home.

TEXT TO TEXT: This book reminds me of the book titled "inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai because it also tells the story of a girl and her family who migrate to another country leaving a piece of themselves behind and carrying only memories. Both books explain the difficulty of being in a completely different place and adapting to a different culture, language and customs. These books are also from the perspective of the children.

TEXT TO WORLD: To this day immigration is a topic of controversy and this book reminded that everyone has their story and reasons for migrating. The author brought attention to the struggles immigrants face when they leave their country and begin a new life in an unfamiliar place. Currently the US government has been working on implementing laws and regulations in regards to immigration which is why this book is very relevant to the topic. Its nice to have books represent the idea of adapting and finding friends in an unknown place.

[Jonny Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here I Am (2014) is a wordless picture book showing a boy’s arrival in the completely unfamiliar space of New York City, and how we eventually becomes more comfortable.

Sonia Sánchez (@soniasillustration), the picture artist, manages to capture the personal experience conveyed to her by Patti Kim (@patti.kim), whose own autobiographical writing features after the illustrated story.

I am always looking out for wordless picture books for older children - they have enormous potential. For one thing, they can be used to support the early reading of newly arrived pupils, through a process called ‘contingent talk’ - the child leads the reading, and can point out or talk about whatever catches their eye.

Here I Am sensitively captures the emotional struggle of adapting. As a teacher in East London, with children who arrive from all over the world, it is an experience I see often when a child speaks a language that is not shared by any of their classmates.

Sonia Sánchez cleverly shows the boy’s gradual familiarisation with English in the way that the text in the background moves from jumbled letters, to bla bla blahs of the classroom, to the fragments of understanding on a map.

The boy takes comfort in a seed from his homeland and when he drops it out of this window, this forces him to go out into the world. Eventually, he is glad that he does.

Sonia Sánchez’s style is phenomenal and I will be looking out for more from her.

[Emily]

Wordless Book

Genre: This is a realistic fiction book. I know this because it talks about a family's immigration to America, which is a very real event that happens.
Audience: This book is intended for primary readers.
Connections:
Text to Self: I am getting my endorsement in ESL, so in my practicum I have seen first hand children trying to navigate through a completely different language and society as their own. It is extremely intimidating for them to have to learn how to function in our society, and I hope that I can help them through that journey as their teacher.
Text to Text: This relates to the book Enrique's Journey. Although we get more specifics in Enrique's Journey, both books cover the immigration of boys to America, and the struggles that they face. It is a transition for both of them, but they both have support from those around them.
Text to World: This boy's experience with immigration and trying to navigate a new life is one that millions of children face all over the world. They come from their home, many times without a choice in the matter, and have to find their way in a new society. It is something that we teachers have to support our students through, because it is a very difficult journey.

[Caitlyn Robinson]

In the wordless picture book Here I am, readers are pulled into a wordless, but definitely not quiet world that is experienced through the eyes of a young boy who is immigrating with his family. While the plot is not very detailed, the story still has a problem and solution. The boy is faced with a change that is unpleasant to him at first, but he finds comfort when he lets go of his feelings of disappointment and learns to appreciate his new home, while cherishing a new friendship. It is apparent through body language and facial expressions that the boy is bored and missing his old home, which appears to be an Asian country based on the style of house depicted in his memory. Even though there is no verbal communication between characters, readers can easily understand the feelings of the characters through non-verbal expressions. When the boy is laying restless in bed, I could almost feel the stale, hot air, and "hear the sound" of obnoxious silence. The illustrations are vivid and draw the reader in by portraying scenes, feelings and sounds that are familiar, which is crucial because they are what "tell" the story. Diversity is apparent by portraying values through the illustrations, such as the family having a picnic, the grandfather teaching his grandson to fish, and the two runners competing in a race. Overall, the story is a great way for children to have a part in the teaching process because the lack of words gives them the opportunity to express their thoughts and make assumptions about the feelings and experiences of this character, while using sights and sounds they are familiar and can identify with.

[Alex Ronnenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: challenges/issues
Awards: none
Audience: grades 1st-5th
A. This book shows the struggles a little boy faces when immigrating to the United States from Asia. When he first comes to the US, he does not understand anything. He cannot read signs or understand what his teacher is saying. The little boy misses home.
B. This book shows children, without using words, that children around the world face different challenges. This book can teach children about emotions and can show them at they are not alone if they are sad. All children will face challenges at one point in their life and books like these show children that they are not alone.
C. This is a mirror book for me because I have experienced the struggles one faces when moving. I have not experienced the struggles of immigration but I moved out of state when going to college. I had a hard time finding my place and making friends when first coming here. When I put myself out there and started to explore Waco, I started to love my new home just like the little boy in this book starts to explore the city.

[Melia Bents · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wordless picture book tells the story of a young boy who moves to America as an immigrant. He struggles to adjust to the different environment and we see through his facial expressions (since there are no words to describe how he is feeling). A seed that he brought from his home country brings him comfort in the new, unfamiliar environment and brings him a friend as well. At the end of the book, the boy is much happier and confident than he was at the beginning. I really enjoy wordless picture books because they provide just a basic structure with illustrations while the rest of the plot is up to your imagination. You are able to create the dialogue and you are able to decide how the characters feel exactly. The illustrations in this book were wonderful and kept the story moving. Some people may find it confusing or undefined because there are no words, but that is the point of a wordless picture book. I did not find anything problematic about it. Age level: 1st grade and up.

[Na · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Here I Am" has a very interesting take on telling a perspective of immigration. It is a wordless picture book therefore heavily relying on illustrations to send their message across and convey feelings. The pictures clearly show a lot of depth and emotions for the characters and lets reader connect this text to themselves. The experience seems quite frightening at first with much confusion but as we progress we see friendships being formed through the illustration of a seed blooming. It will captivate the student's interest however since there are no words it might be a bit complex for younger student. Nether less they will still be able to model comprehension strategies and make predictions. It clearly involves a lot of imagination for children to fill in the blanks of the story line and similar to the book "My Two Blankets" the broad perspective makes it more relatable to students.