A Million Shades of Grey by Cynthia Kadohata

This is the UK cover from Simon and Schuster

This is the US cover

This story opens in 1973 in the Highlands of South Vietnam. The war is all around the village of Y'Tin but somehow his family are going on with their daily lives. Y'Tin's father is working for the US army as a tracker and his son has this skill too but all Y'Tin wants to do is look after the elephants - especially Lady. Jump forward to 1975. The US army have left and Y'Tin is now an elephant keeper but the war is not over and there are discussions among the adults about the desperate need to leave before the soliders from the North and the Viet Cong arrive. Then comes the terrible day when the soldier do come and T'Tin and his friends are captured. He desperately hopes his mother and father and two sisters have escaped. The following few days are utterly dreadful. People from his village are shot; their houses are burned down and the boys from the village have to dig huge grave pits. Somehow though, Y'Tin and a friend do manage to escape and deep in the jungle they are reunited with their elephants. Sadly though, there is more trouble ahead. 

You can read the blurb and a book extract on the publisher page. And here is the author page. A Million Shades of Grey was published in 2010 but it is still available.  I also found this list of five middle grade novels also about the Vietnam War. If you select the label either Vietnam or Vietnam War from this post you will find some picture books that are well worth exploring too. 

A fascinating window into post–Vietnam War history and a wonderfully intimate character study. Kirkus

Though the setting might be unfamiliar to young readers, Kadohata does a good job describing it without overloading her narrative with political details. Y’Tin’s inner monologues make it easy to sympathize with his character and to understand the events in his life. ... some of the more violent scenes and allusions to war crimes might be difficult for readers ... Historical Novel Society

If you have students in your school studying the Vietnam War then this book should be added to their wide reading book list. It gives another perspective on that conflict and is set just after the US army have left and the North have begun their invasion. Reading this book (for ages 11+) will take some reading stamina because the action doesn't really kick in until around page 75.

If you are interested in reading other books about care of elephants and the special bond that forms between these huge creatures and humans look for these:

The Magician's Elephant

The what on earth institute of wonder

The Elephant in the Room

The Great Elephant Chase

Singing with elephants

The Girl who Stole an Elephant

I picked this book, A million Shades of Grey, in a library because I previously enjoy two other books by Cynthia Kadohata - Kira-Kira and Weedflower. A couple of years ago I read this one:

Half a world away

The Endless Sea by Chi Thai illustrated by Linh Dao

"The war was over, but life wasn't easier. Everyone was hungry. Everyone was afraid. My family were punished for being on the losing side of the war - our relatives went missing. Every day felt like it could be our last."

Now we move onto the people smugglers. The family sell all their precious things and pay a man who pays a man who speaks to another man and then finally it is time to leave - at night, in secret. After days of travel they reach a boat but it is old, wooden and extremely overloaded. The food runs out. The water runs out. It begins to rain and the boat begins to sink. 

"As the water inched higher and higher, I imagined sinking with the boat and disappearing into the sea. It would be as if we were never here, or never existed."

A ship comes to their rescue but in a heart-wrenching moment the crew hesitate to rescue the refugees. And this is only the beginning of their journey to a new city, a refugee camp, a long plane flight and finally a bust to their new home. 

In the background notes you will read how the experiences explained in this picture book actually happened to Chi Thai. You should also linger over the cover and end papers. This is an important and poignant picture book with a heartfelt personal story that should be added to your school library collection.

A poignant reflection on one refugee’s experience. Kirkus

The specific context is helpful, but even without, it’s an affecting story, a reminder that the refugee experience is unfortunately common enough to be believable even without all the details. The narrator’s voice is clipped but sympathetic, as she conveys the sequence of her journey with a matter-of-fact approach that still leaves room for emotion. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

This moving, visually compelling story about one refugee family’s experiences is a powerful testament to fostering compassion and understanding. Horn Book

Chi Thai is a British Vietnamese independent filmmaker. She is a BIFA nominated producer and a Screen International Star of Tomorrow. She directed and produced the short film adaptation of award-winning Walker title The Promise by Nicola Davies and Laura Carlin. The Endless Sea is her debut picture book.

Linh Dao is an award-winning illustrator and animator. Having been born in Vietnam she is now based in in Brno, Czech Republic.

I have begun collecting picture books that explore the refugee experience in preparation for an IBBY Australia talk later this year. Our Australian Standing orders have a selection of International titles and that is where I first saw a reference to this book. Then I was visiting Gleebooks and able to read The Endless Sea for myself - realising it was a perfect picture book to add to my collection. I am not a fan of endorsements but there are two very powerful ones on the back cover of this book:

• "These are the stories we must tell on behalf of those who can't." Shaun Tan
• "What a powerful book!" Michael Rosen

Companion books:

Out

Then and Now

Grandma's Treasured Shoes

Wishes

Escape

Then and Now by Datsun Tran

"This book is dedicated to those who have had to make the difficult decisions to leave their homes, to those who had to cross oceans for safety, to those learning to live life again in foreign and sometimes unfriendly lands, to those who found their new homes, and to those who didn't make it in their attempts. Your courage will not be forgotten."

The narrative in this book is shared from two perspectives as the title implies - then and now. Look at these lines:

"Knock, knock, knock. We hide under the table."

"Knock, knock, knock. We open the door to welcome our guests."

These two highly contrasting responses to a knock at the door could form the basis of your introduction and preliminary discussions with a class before you read the whole book.

Or you could use this line "The smell of food is a distant memory." Talk about why the boy might say this. Discuss the difference between hunger and words you might use such as I'm hungry. Where in the world past or present might a child experience desperate hunger and starvation as the illustration shows? Talk about food as an important part of culture.

For more ideas take a look at this page from the publisher and here are some simple art ideas.

The way the two colours are used in this book is so powerful. The blogger at Reading Opens Doors explains it this way: Sepia tones are used to illustrate the past and capture the history of where the children have come from. The emotions etched on the children’s faces convey a gamut of feelings – fear, courage, desperation, sadness, despair, hunger and pain. The use of space on the page serves to highlight the vulnerability of the children. Shades of blue with pops of colour represent “now”. In their new home the children celebrate their culture, honour their ancestors, take comfort in sharing a traditional meal with their neighbours and experience a sense of belonging, abundance, freedom and beauty in their new community.

It would be fantastic to experience some of the 'now' foods mentioned in this book: dim sum and char siu bao.

Here is an interview with Datsun Tran and here is an extract:

The way refugees are often depicted in news and media don’t usually show the humanity, other than the suffering. So I wanted to show refugees as people like you and I, people who have had to go through a really devastating event. The story is told through sensory triggers for trauma, and I wanted to show that these triggers can also change and fade away to more positive experiences.

And I found another interview with images of the illustrations.

You already know I have an opinion about endorsements on book covers but with your students it would be very worthwhile to research the three people who are quoted on the back cover of Then and Now - Behrouz Boochani, Abdul-Rahman Abdullah and Zeno Sworder (My Strange Shrinking Parents).

An astounding work of light and shadow, this poetic and profound book is a rare treasure. Zeno Sworder

The publisher of this book is Slingshot Books. The founder says: I seek to broaden the range of print material accessible to children and their grown-ups. It’s my hope that the growing Slingshot library helps raise curious, brave, loving and critically engaged people who are committed to collective liberation.

When I saw this book on a display at the announcement of the 2025 CBCA Picture Book of the Year Notables I picked it up, read it and declared - this will surely be one of the winners!

The CBCA Picture Book judges in their Notables report said this - I have added bold to some of the text for emphasis:

Drawing on Vietnamese refugee experiences, this layered narrative explores the power of memory through sensory detail. The minimal yet masterfully crafted text creates emotional resonance through transformed meanings where the same sounds carry profoundly different weight across time and place. Ink paintings, inspired by classical Chinese brushwork, employ contrasting colour palettes of evocative browns for the past and deep blues for the present. Strategic touches of full colour highlight some pivotal moments. The illustrations, merging traditional and contemporary techniques, integrate seamlessly with the text. The cover's metaphorical composition, where past and present selves reach towards a bright red lantern, symbolises enduring cultural identity. The thoughtfully designed endpapers introduce contrasting colour schemes that flow throughout this immersive story of survival and renewal.

I said this in a previous post about another one of the splendid notables - A Leaf called Greaf: "One of the things that I think is important in Picture Book judging, when we think about an award such as the one from the Children's Book Council of Australia - relates to the universality of the book. Is this a book that could be shared with a child in another English-speaking country? Is this a book that should travel beyond our shores? Would you be excited to see this Australian book for sale in London or New York. Is this a book that transcends and age classification? (You could read this book to a child aged 6 or 7 and equally to an older child or gift it to an adult). I can answer YES to all of those questions ... Also a fabulous picture book like this should expect readers to 'join the dots' - to have to think about the story and its deeper meanings."

Check out my Pinterest and here are some companion books:

Grandma's Treasured Shoes

My Strange Shrinking Parents

What you need to be warm

Stitched Up by Steve Cole

Hanh is sold by her parents to two strangers who offer her a good job as a shop assistant in distant Hanoi. She and other girls from her village are taken to the city but that's when all the promises are broken. They are locked inside a factory, fed only rice, they are only allowed to use the bathroom twice a day, and all of them are forced to work in very dangerous factory conditions manufacturing jeans for the fast fashion industry. Perfectly good denim is distressed by sandblasting. Fabrics are dropped into vats of dangerous chemicals. Machines are used to press creases into the legs of the pants. And embellishments are added by machine and by hand. The young overseer girl wields a stick and she beats any child who does not perform their tasks quickly. Quotas, money and greed drive this industry. Reading this book will most certainly make you reconsider that next purchase of fast fashion.

The story does have a resolution but clearly Hanh will be damaged for the rest of her life and her parents suffer from the most dreadful guilt. They never did receive the promised money. In this book you can read about modern slavery and organisations who are working to rescue children like Hanh and her friends. There is also an afterword about ways to avoid fast fashion. I had no idea 8,000 litres of water are used to make one pair of jeans 

This book is from the Barrington Stoke (Dyslexia friendly) book series. They produce books for all ages and this one is most certainly a Young Adult title for mature readers aged 12+.

You're going to read about the processes which go into the manufacture of garments such as the jeans. They're complex and require a great deal of skill. Hanh and the other girls get just two poor meals a day and are allowed only two toilet breaks. Violence is commonplace - and vicious. No account is taken of any illnesses or injuries: the girls are, after all, expendable. It's a dreadful situation but Steve Coles tells the story with sensitivity and compassion but still manages not to shy away from the brutal truth about why fast-fashion clothes are so cheap. BookBag

Children who are passionate about social justice are sure to devour this book. Scope for Imagination

In the context of a High School this book could be used in many different ways. If your school runs a social justice program this book explores modern slavery. This book is also about textile manufacturing and in particular 'trendy' jeans with distressed fabrics, rips and tears and embellishments and so it could be used in Design and Tech. If you have a group of students exploring the UN Rights of the child this book could be added to a wide reading list.

Here are all the titles in this series by Steve Cole:

I would pair Stitched up with these books:

Amal Unbound

Grandma's treasured Shoes by Coral Vass illustrated by Christina Huynh

The first thing I noticed when reading Grandma's treasured shoes was the power of contrasting language.  On the opening pages the shoes are:

Walk to the park shoes
Dance in the dark shoes
Fun shoes and sun shoes
Out and about shoes
Splash in the rain shoes

Then the reader turns the page and the tone completely changes. Grandma does have lots of shoes but her favourite shoes are worn and torn. They come from a different place and time:

They're old shoes
Frail shoes
Dusty and pale shoes
Hidden with secrets
Remarkable tales

These are the old shoes Grandma wore back as a small child back in her village in Vietnam. She wore them when the family were forced to flee, with no luggage, with just the shoes on her feet.  They became escaping shoes as the family embark on a long and very dangerous boat journey.

Here are some more of the powerful words in this text
trembling shoes
teary shoes
roaming shoes
weary shoes

This book is written for very young children and it is a gentle way to share the journey of refugees. Grandma (who was a very young child when she left Vietnam) arrives to the new land and is given new shoes. The repeated text from the opening pages gives the story a very satisfying sense of completion. Grandma may be old now but she keeps her little childhood shoes as a memory of times past and as a memory of her new life in Australia.

Here is a very detailed set of teaching notes.

And here is the web site for the illustrator Christina Huynh. You can read an interview with Christina. 

Coral Vass is the author of Sorry Day which has been short listed by the CBCA in 2019 for the Eve Pownall award. 

If you are working with older students it would be interesting to compare this text with the famous poem Choosing Shoes by Frida Wolfe. Coral Vass talks about the inspiration behind this story. I know it is far away but I would like to see this book - Grandma's Treasured Shoes listed by the CBCA for the 2020 awards either as a notable title or, even better, on the early childhood short list.

Read more about this book in this review from The Bottom Shelf.

ANZAC Day - a book list

Image Source: Avalon Public School art class (Mrs Julie Thorby)

ANZAC Day is commemorated next week and in our school students prepare and present a moving service each year.  We have so many excellent books suitable for all ages in our library which allow students to gain some understanding of the events surrounding World War I and II along with other more recent conflicts. Some focus on individuals, others on major events such as the landing at Gallipoli while others explore courage and heroism.  I have included a little quote from each book to give you an idea of the tone and content. Blue links will take you to more details on this blog.

My Grandad Marches on ANZAC day by Catriona Hoy and Benjamin Johnson
"He wears his best jacket and has shiny medals on his chest.  He doesn't have much hair on his head but he does have a big moustache."

Only a Donkey by Celeste Walters illustrated by Patricia Mullins
"I was a donkey who served in a war that was fought long ago in a place far away, and many young soldiers who fell would have died, except for one man who just followed his heart.  At the sound of his voice I was willingly led.  With his hand on my halter, sure-footed I trod."

The Bantam and the solider by Jennifer Beck illustrated by Robyn Belton
"Food became scarce, and Arthur and his companions collected grubs and worms for Bertha from the muddy banks of their clay prison.  And she rewarded them.  In the midst of a raging battle, when the sky was crisscrossed with fire, Bertha laid a warm brown egg.  When Arthur found it, he hugged the little bantam to his mud-caked jacket."

Gallipoli by Kerry Greenwood illustrated by Annie White
"The ANZACs had been at Gallipoli for months now.  The weather was hot, and they were sweaty and dirty. Insects bit them day and night.  Sometimes they got letters and presents from home. Bluey opened a parcel wrapped in brown paper with string. 'Fruit cake and tins of apricot jam!"

The house was built in a day Anzac cottage by Valerie Everett illustrated by Barbara McGuire
"A proud community gazed upon its achievement. On a street in their suburb stood Western Australia's first Gallipoli memorial, a house that could never be sold.  The Australians who fought and died would live on in their hearts and memories..."

ANZAC Biscuits by Phil Cummings illustrated by Owen Swan
"The farm was quiet.  Rachel and her mother were in the kitchen.  The fire crackled and Rachel was warm.  'Let's make some biscuits for Dad,' her mother said.  'Yes, let's!' Rachel cried."

"Snow was falling.  The solider turned his back to the bitter cold. He lifted his collar and lowered his unshaven face to feel the warmth of his own breath."

In Flanders Fields by Norman Jorgensen and Brian Harrison-Lever
"A brightly coloured robin is trapped.  One wing is flapping helplessly. The bird is unable to free itself from the tangle of deadly barbs."

Photographs in the mud by Dianne Wolfer illustrated by Brian Harrison-Lever
"Hoshi and Jack stared into each other's eyes. Then Hoshi rolled closer, groaning with the effort.  Scalding pain burned across his chest as he held out the picture."

Present from the past by Jennifer Beck illustrated by Lindy Fisher
"Princess Mary, who was the only daughter of the King and Queen of England at the time, decided that she wanted to give a special present to all the allied troops serving overseas."

Anzac Day parade by Glenda Kane and Lisa Allen
"Sixty years since he saw the battle when ninety-three mates got blown away by cracking mortar and machine gun rattle, now names on a plaque at the RSL."

The Red Poppy by David Hill illustrated by Fifi Colston
"Of course! The puppy would show they were near a patch of flowers. Jim put the flower into the pouch too, then looked into the dog's eyes.  'Hurry, Nipper.' The tail wagged again."

Lofty's mission by Krista Bell illustrated by David Miller
"Sorry, lad.' Frank McNamara was firm.  'The army needs top homing pigeons as messengers. Your Lofty, Number 371, is our best squeaker ... just what they need up in New Guinea." You could pair this book with Flapper, VC by Mark Wilson. 

Meet the ANZACS by Claire Saxby illustrated by Max Berry
"The ships docked at Cairo after six long weeks at sea.  The Australians and the New Zealanders set up camp side by side, close to the pyramids.  The air swirled hot and fierce, full of sand."

Lone Pine by Susie Brown and Margaret Warner illustrated by Sebastian Ciaffaglione
"The soldier looks down.  He stoops and plucks a pine cone that is still clinging to a branch.  Holding it up, he breathes in the fresh clean scent of pine. He thinks of his mother's garden where he used to play with his brothers.  The soldier slips the pine cone into his pocket.  It is a reminder of this sad day."

Do not forget Australia by Sally Murphy illustrated by Sonia Kretschmar
"Billy tried to imagine what it would be like to have your home destroyed, or to have no school to go to every day. And he wondered if there was anything he could do to help the kids of Villers-Bretonneux."

Memorial by Gary Crew illustrated by Shaun Tan
"But the tree's a memorial,' I say. 'The same as the statue - except the tree's alive and the statue's just rock and concrete. And the tree's full of birds and fruit bats and possums. Whole families, like ours.  The council wouldn't cut the big tree down, would they, Old Pa?" You could pair this book with Only a Donkey by Celeste Walters illustrated by Patricia Mullins.

The Poppy by Andrew Plant
"The poppies nod in the winds that blow over the Somme.  Their petals turn the fields red where once they were stained with the blood of the fallen."

Harry and the Anzac Poppy by John Lockyer
"A small wooden box was on the floor beside the chair.  Harry picked it up.  'What's this, Grandma?' Grandma Kate ran her fingers over the scratched lid.  'Do you know anything about World War One?' she asked."

Simpson and his Donkey by Mark Greenwood illustrated by Frane Lessac
"Jack was responding to a cry for help when he came upon a donkey cowering in a gully of pines."

The Afghanistan pup by Mark Wilson
"The solider suddenly stopped.  Just where he was about to dig was a little dog. covered in sand.  The pup wasn't moving, so the solider brushed away the dirt and discovered wounds on its legs and side. He could see that the wounds were badly infected ... He wiped the dust from the pup's face before dripping some water from his canteen into the animal's mouth.  It was soon time to go, so the solider picked up the pup and carried it to his truck."

Vietnam Diary by Mark Wilson
"Jason sat bleary-eyed in his foxhole early one morning as the sun burst through the trees.  But something wasn't right.  There was no noise.  Then suddenly, explosions erupted throughout the camp."

The Anzac puppy by Peter Millet illustrated by Trish Bowles
You might like to read my review.

A day to remember by Jackie French illustrated by Mark Wilson
You might like to read my review.

I was only Nineteen by John Schumann illustrated by Craig Smith
"Townsville lined the footpath as we marched down to the quay. This clipping from the paper shows us young and strong and clean. And there's me in my slouch hat, with my SLR and greens. God help me, I was only nineteen."

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon illustrated by Henri Sorensen
You can read the lyrics here.  This book is one of my favourites. You could pair this book with Shooting at the stars: The Christmas Truce 1914 by John Hendrix.

Why are they marching, Daddy?  by Di Burke
Madi is watching the parade with her father. "Why are they marching, Daddy?" she asks. Madi's father tells his daughter the story of Anzac.  He talks about war too: "Is war bad?" asks Madi... Daddy answers by talking about the good and bad. The reasons and the consequences. He talks about freedom. This little book addresses the big issues simply and clearly. It's a great book to talk about what we are commemorating on the 25th April every year. In some Australian Primary libraries this book will be available in a Big Book format.

The Fair Dinkum war by David Cox
"Everybody had air-raid shelters at home, too.  Some were just trenches, like our, that filled with water when it rained.  But some kids had air-raid shelters they could boast about, with cups and plates and cupboards full of canned food that would last for weeks."

What was the war like, Grandma? by Rachel Tonkin
"There were posters pasted up warning of spies. Some people were so frightened they thought there were spies everywhere.  Albie Sodablom from the petrol station was beaten up because his name sounded foreign.  He changed it to Albie Blom.  Our family doctor, Dr Danzeigre screwed a new brass plate to the wall outside his surgery saying 'Dr C Danbyy' in case people turned against him too."

Here is my Pinterest book collection of ANZAC Day books (edited April 2021)

Click here to read more details from My Little Bookcase blog.

Image Source: Avalon Public School art class (Mrs Julie Thorby)

Inside out and back again by Thanhha Lai

Poignant, moving, sad, honest, emotional - these are some of the words I would use to describe the verse novel Inside out and back again.

Over the course of a year this book relates, as a diary, the conflict in Vietnam of the 1960s, the journey by Ha's family to the US and her first months adjusting to this new and very foreign life.

Ha is a very smart girl.  In this extract she explains her shopping routine when her mother sends her to the market.

"Last September
she would give me
fifty dong
to buy one hundred grams of pork,
a bunch of water spinach,
five cubes of tofu.

But I told no one
I was buying
ninety-nine grams of pork,
seven-eights of a bunch of spinach,
four and three-quarter cubes of tofu.
Merchants frowned at
Mother's strange instructions.

The money saved
bought
a pound of toasted coconut,
one sugary fried dough,
two crunchy mung bean biscuits."

As a contrast here is a description of Ha's packing.

"Into each pack;
one pair of pants,
one pair of shorts,
three pairs of underwear,
two shirts,
sandals,
toothbrush and paste,
soap,
ten palms of rice grains,
three clumps of cooked rice,
one choice.

I choose my doll,
once lent to a neighbour
who left it outside,
where mice bit 
her left cheek
and right thumb.

I love her more 
for her scars."

This is a brilliant book for mature senior primary students and  a worthy Newbery honor recipient.  After reading this book you might also enjoy Onion Tears by Diana Kidd, Silk Umbrellas by Carolyn Marsden and Almost Forever by Maria Testa.

You can read an extract from this book here.  Here are some lesson plans and teaching resources.  You might like to watch a trailer.

In her not-to-be-missed debut, Lai evokes a distinct time and place and presents a complex, realistic heroine whom readers will recognize, even if they haven’t found themselves in a strange new country.

I have put two covers here because we have the one with the half face here in Australia but I much prefer the US cover below.