The Yellow Áo Dài

Naliah looks forward to performing the Vietnamese Fan Dance at the International Day in school. Her own áo dài (pronounced “𝘰𝘸-𝘺𝘢𝘪”) no longer fits. So she fishes out one from her mother’s wardrobe not realising that it is an heirloom and wears the too-long áo dài while practicing. As she twirls gracefully in the áo dài, the long dress tangles around her feet and to her utmost horror, it rips… What would Naliah do now? Would her mother be mad for ruining Naliah’s grandmother’s áo dài, the one that grandma wore when she performed the Fan Dance in Vietnam? Read “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 Á𝗼 𝗗à𝗶” to find out…

This is such a realistic and loveable book that it has a special place in my heart. It reminds me of my childhood where certain sections of my mother’s wardrobe were strictly off-limits. Little did I know then that those were the saris with a ‘heirloom’ status!

This is an important book because even in this part of the world, we hardly get to read many picture books with Vietnamese characters or backgrounds. The marvellous illustrations are a visual delight!