The Rock in My Throat

Praise for The Rock in My Throat by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Jiemei Lin:

Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature Picture Book Honor
Booklist Editor's Choice
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Award
Heartland Booksellers Award Finalist
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

At first, no one noticed when I stopped talking at school.

In this moving true story, Kao Kalia Yang shares her experiences as a young Hmong refugee navigating life at home and at school. Having seen the poor treatment her parents received when making their best efforts at speaking English, she no longer speaks at school. Kalia feels as though a rock has become lodged in her throat, and it grows heavier each day. Although the narrative is somber, it is also infused with moments of beauty, love, and hope.

This is a story for anyone who has ever struggled to find their voice.

Booklist Editor's Choice The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Award The Endies Endpaper Awards Junior Library Guild Selection Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature Picture Book Honor Minnesota Book Award Finalist Heartland Booksellers Award Finalist Martin Luther King Jr. "Living the Dream" Book Award Contender

"A heartfelt story that teaches children about diversity and reflects difficulties with being different, understood, and accepted."—starred, Booklist

"A nature motif runs throughout the scenes, anchoring the girl in a world that requires no language, just the songs of birds and movement of growth. This is a gorgeous and deeply empathetic look at the refugee experience and what it means to feel truly alone in the world."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Tenderly told in first person, Yang's lyrical autobiographical picture book depicts her childhood struggle with selective mutism. Her descriptions of how selective mutism presents at school are vivid and authentic. . . Lin's earth tones and muted colors reflect Kalia's affinity with the natural world."—The Horn Book Magazine

"Yang traces a Hmong-speaking child's experience of selective mutism. . . Lin's digital illustrations employ scale and perspective to smart effect."—Publishers Weekly

"Yang's poetic prose sings in perfect unison with Lin's gorgeously textured illustrations, rendered in earthy tones . . . A powerful window into the perspective of a young immigrant."—Kirkus Reviews

Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong American writer, teacher and public speaker. Born in the refugee camps of Thailand to a family that escaped the genocide of the Secret War in Laos, she came to America at the age six. Yang holds degrees from Carleton College and Columbia University. Her work has won numerous awards and recognition including multiple Minnesota Book Awards, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor, an ALA Notable Children's Book Award, the 2023 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, Dayton's Literary Peace Prize, and a PEN USA Award in Nonfiction. Jiemei Lin is an artist born in Hangzhou, China, currently living and working in the Inland Northwest, Washington State. Lin works with both digital media and traditional media to create paintings, murals, and illustrations. Her work includes The Rock in My Throat which was selected as a Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature Honor Book in the Picture Book category. Lin's mission as illustrator is to represent and communicate with all audiences from underrepresented groups in her own visual language. As a public artist, Lin has been designing and executing large-scale public murals in both the pacific and inland Northwest.

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