About the Book
A heartfelt story of a young girl seeking beauty and connection in a busy world. As the seasons change, so too does a young Hmong girl's world. She moves into a new home with her family and encounters both birth and death. As this curious girl explores life inside her house and beyond, she collects bits of the natural world. But who are her treasures for? A moving picture book debut from acclaimed Hmong American author Kao Kalia Yang.
Why We Recommend It: A Map Into the World takes place in the changing, and often harsh, seasons of Minnesota. The story begins with a Hmong family making a home for themselves, including exploring all of the new sites and smells that they both welcome and grieve. Adorning their walls are story textiles that show the journey of Hmong people to America. Though they are from the other side of the world, they find community with their neighbors through shared grief and hope. A Map Into the World is an important story for all young readers to enjoy and learn more about what many immigrant and refugee families experience during their resettlement.
About the Author
Kao Kalia Yang
Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong American writer. She is a writer of memoir, children’s literature, a
librettist, public speaker and teacher. Her first book, The Latehomecomer: a Hmong Family
Memoir, was a National Endowment for the Arts Big Read title and remains the only Asian
American title adapted for the stage by Literature to Life. Her second memoir, The Song Poet: a
Memoir of my Father, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Chautauqua
Prize, the PEN USA literary awards, and the Dayton’s Literary Peace Prize. It was listed as
number 16 in Esquire Magazine’s “50 Best Biographies of All Time”. The Minnesota Opera
commissioned a libretto by Yang for an opera of the same name which had a sold out premier
run in 2023. Her collective refugee memoir, Somewhere in the Unknown World was one of
Kirkus Best Books of the Year. She also co-edited the ground-breaking collection What God is
Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Native Women and
Women of Color. Her Children’s books, A Map Into the World, The Shared Room, The Most
Beautiful Thing, Yang Warriors, and From the Tops of the Trees, have received multiple starred
reviews and appeared in many end of year lists and as Notable Books by the American Library
Association. Yang received the American Library Association’s Asian/Pacific American Literary
Award for Children’s Literature, and four Minnesota Book Awards among many other awards
for her writing across genres. Yang is a recipient of the Sally Award for Social Impact from the
Ordway Center for Performing Arts and the A.P. Anderson Award for her significant
contributions to the cultural and artistic life of Minnesota. She is a Soros, McKnight, and
Guggenheim fellow.
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