Here I Am by Patti Kim (review)

In this wordless picture book, a young boy flies with his family to a new country and is overwhelmed by the confusing chaos of his new city home. His one link to his former life is a big red seed; unfortunately, when he’s leaning longingly out the window to peer at a lively girl skipping away below, he drops the seed on her head, and she pockets his treasure and scampers off. Setting out after her, he wends his way through the city and begins to see it anew as he finds friendly café-sitters, cheerful passersby, and a lucky dropped coin that allows him to buy a delicious hot pretzel. He eventually catches up to the girl at a park, reclaims the seed, and forges a friendship with her, sealed by planting the seed in the ground; the park then becomes the favorite spot of the two friends and their families as the year goes by, and the boy finally feels rooted. There are similarities here to Tan’s The Arrival (BCCB 1/08), both in theme and in device, as the local signs and teacher’s words appear incomprehensible to the protagonist; this is, however, a much more kid-focused experience. Mixed-media illustrations by Spanish illustrator Sánchez incorporate swift, hand-drawn lines, sweeps of saturated reds and translucent aquas, soft, smudgy textures, and occasional collaged elements, and the often-paneled result has the sophistication of a graphic novel. Some aspects of the kid’s experience will take some decoding, but audiences will easily perceive the changing mood as the gloomy city becomes more colorful and eventually culminates in the soft green embrace of the park. An author’s note explains the story, informing audiences that Kim herself came to the U.S. as a child and drew on those experiences in the book.