Adrift at Sea: A Vietnamese Boy's Story of Survival

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, Tuan Ho (With), Brian Deines (Illustrator)

Overview

It is 1981. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a fishing boat overloaded with 60 Vietnamese refugees drifts. The motor has failed; the hull is leaking; the drinking water is nearly gone. This is the dramatic true story recounted by Tuan Ho, who was six years old when he, his mother, and two sisters dodged the bullets of Vietnam's military police for the perilous chance of boarding that boat. Told to multi-award-winning author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch and illustrated by the celebrated Brian Deines, Tuan's story has become Adrift At Sea, the first picture book to describe the flight of Vietnam's "Boat People" refugees. Illustrated with sweeping oil paintings and complete with an expansive historical and biographical section with photographs, this non-fiction picture book is all the more important as the world responds to a new generation of refugees risking all on the open water for the chance at safety and a new life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781772780055
Publisher:	Pajama Press Inc.
Publication date:	11/11/2016
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,126,270
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch's award-winning books for young people include Last Airlift, a Red Cedar Information Book Award winner and OLA Red Maple Honour Book. Its sequel, One Step at a Time, won the OLA Silver Birch Non-Fiction Award. Her YA novel Dance of the Banished is a Junior Library Guild Selection for 2015. In 2008, in recognition of her outstanding achievement in the development Ukraine's culture, Marsha was awarded the Order of Princess Olha. She lives in Brantford, Ontario.

Tuan Ho escaped Vietnam at age six in 1981 among thousands of other boat people refugees. Through author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, he has told the story of how he, his mother, and two sisters survived five days adrift on the ocean with dwindling fresh water before being rescued by a U.S. aircraft carrier. Joining the rest of his family in Canada, he went on to attend school in Toronto and is now an accomplished physiotherapist. Tuan and his wife Edae have two young daughters, Madeline and Emily.

Brian Deines is a fine artist and the award-winning illustrator of over 20 children's books, including A Bear in War, Bear on the Homefront, The Road to Afghanistan, and On a Snowy Night. Dragonfly Kites, part of a trilogy written by Tomson Highway, was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for illustration and the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award. A graduate of the Alberta College of Art, Brian lives in Toronto, Ontario with his wife and daughter.

Read an Excerpt

On the second day, our boat springs a leak. I wish I could drink the water that laps around my feet, but it’s full of salt.
Ma and Nghia take turns bailing. It’s hard work and few offer to help. Don’t they realize our boat could sink?
The captain gives them a bottle of water in thanks. We hide this treasure in our bags.

Editorial Reviews

09/19/2016
As she did in The Last Airlift and One Step at a Time, Skrypuch uses one child’s story to give moving insight into the experience of the many children who escaped war-ravaged Vietnam to start new lives. One night in 1981, a year after six-year-old Tuan Ho’s father and older sister fled to Canada, the boy’s mother leads him and two younger sisters to a waiting skiff, as soldiers’ bullets fly past their heads. Danger follows them when they board a larger boat with scores of other refugees: the vessel springs a leak, water is scarce, the sun scorches, and the engine dies. In a particularly dramatic spread, the hulking bow of an approaching American aircraft carrier towers over the water, heralding their rescue. Deines’s (Elephant Journey) hazy oil paintings poignantly capture the family’s physical ordeal and anguish during their perilous journey. Information about the reasons for the family’s flight is conspicuously absent from the main narrative, but back matter fills in details about the Vietnam War and Ho’s family’s escape. Ages 6–9. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

About Adrift at Sea

2018 Forest of Reading Golden Oak Award Winner

2017 Cybils Award: Elementary/Middle Grade Non-Fiction finalist

2017 Children's Literature Roundtable of Canada Information Book Award Honour Book selection

2019 Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award: Grade 3-5 shortlist

2017 Red Cedar Information Book Award shortlist

2018 The Booklist Reader "The Refugee Experience for Children and Young Adults" selection

2018 School Library Journal "Collaborating on High-Interest Topics | The Refugee Experience" selection

2018 Canadian School Libraries Journal: Resource Links Highlights: Refugees and Immigrants" selection

2017 Stacked Books "Monthly Giving: International Refugee Assistance Program" selection

2017 Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids & Teens Starred Selection

2016 New England Children's Booksellers Advisory Council's Hot Titles selection

2016 Resource Links "The Year's Best" selection

2021 Unpacking the Power of Picture Books "Viet Nam: Three Must-See, Must-Read Picture Books" selection

"In this picture book for somewhat older readers, Ho narrates the story of his perilous escape from postwar Vietnam, in 1981, describing his pain at leaving behind loved ones and relief upon being rescued by an American aircraft carrier after six days adrift on the ocean. The text is terse and unembellished, leaving the images to capture the emotions through color and perspective—and they do so with compelling immediacy."—Booklist

"[A] remarkable tale of perseverance that involved attacks from soldiers, a broken boat at sea, and a trip that was intended to last four days but went horribly awry....This is a solid informational resource that can be used for introducing a refugee's experience."—School Library Journal

"[D]etailed authors' notes include history, photographs, and maps. The warm undertones in Deines' oil paintings evoke tropical Vietnam."—Kirkus Reviews

"Skrypuch uses one child's story to give moving insight into the experience of the many children who escaped war-ravaged Vietnam to start new lives....Deines's hazy oil paintings poignantly capture the family's physical ordeal and anguish during their perilous journey."—Publishers Weekly

"Tuan's dramatic story of survival comes alive in Skrypuch's capable hands. The heart-pounding action alone is enough to captivate readers, but Skrypuch also incorporates moments of great poignancy that add depth and emotion....Deines's accompanying artwork is achingly beautiful....That danger can exist amid such beauty is an important lesson to learn. That the human spirit can triumph under the most trying of conditions is even more important."—Quill & Quire

"The evocative text and powerful illustrations, painted with oils, enable readers to feel as though they, too, are refugees adrift at sea during this risky journey to freedom..."—ILA Literacy Daily, "War and Its Aftermath

"Filled with urgency, fear, and ultimately hope, Tuan's real-life odyssey proves to be an illuminating inspiration for all readers."—Smithsonian BookDragon

"[A] powerful story, and it doesn’t shy away from the dangers experienced—sometimes fatally—by the refugees."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"This beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture book introduces the reader to a real family....An interesting read that explains why and how people are sometimes forced to flee and find a new homeland."—The International Educator

"Given no other options but to leave their homeland in hopes of a better life, Tuan describes and recounts the horrors of leaving everything behind and having to escape into an unknown world....Filled with colorful and vibrant drawings that engages readers from start to finish, Adrift at Sea is a powerful historical nonfiction story."—International Examiner

"Adrift at Sea is a heartwarming story that will prompt young people to be grateful for the good things in their lives, and highly recommended."—Midwest Book Review

"Tuan Ho was only six years old when his family embarked on a dangerous voyage to escape Vietnam and became part of the 'boat people' fleeing their homeland: his story is told in a non-fiction narrative that captures the experience for young readers. Highly recommended."—Midwest Book Review

"The beautiful, full-page oil paintings effectively convey the dangerous escape, the blistering heat, and the loneliness of being adrift on the ocean....This is an especially useful book to help students understand why refugees are still crowding into boats and risking everything for a better life even today."—School Library Connection

"Recommend to teachers to supplement studies about the Vietnam War or current events with an example of how non-combatants can be affected by the outcome of wars."—Youth Services Book Review

"This book is true, and it is really sad....[it] is a good book to help you understand how people feel and the things they have to do if they feel like they need to run away from bad things that are happening where they live."—Kids' BookBuzz

"Brian Deines...created beautiful oil on canvas illustrations for the book. The colours of the illustrations are bight and vibrant. Other highlights of the book are the personal photographs, biography of Tuan's family, map, and historical note which bookend the narrative of the story....Adrift at Sea is an important addition to Canadian picture book market....Recommended."—CM Magazine

"Brian Deines' subtle double-page oil paintings add greatly to the mood and text of this story....This book is very timely as we have so many refugees from war torn countries in the Middle East now attempting to make their way to a better life under the same kind of conditions that the Vietnamese people experienced back in 1981....I would highly recommend this book for all school and public libraries."—Resource Links

"Adrift at Sea tells this difficult tale with a direct honesty that creates an opportunity for accompanied discussion, especially for some younger readers. Skrypuch maintains a strong sense of hope throughout, demonstrating the true strength of young Tuan."—Canadian Children's Book News

"This fascinating read gives a glimpse of the struggle and bravery of a refugee....This is a powerful tale that enables children to learn about a time in history that they may not know about."—The Crimson Review of Children's and YA Literature

"The illustrations in this book, full color paintings, are absolutely stunning....Brian Deines, has outdone himself in two-page spreads that bring this refugee story to life....[A] good introduction to the subject of the Vietnamese boat people..."—Semicolon

"This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of Tuan's days at sea and their eventual rescue by American sailors. End pages include photographs and information that round out the story and tell of Tuan's life in with his family in Toronto."—Nerdy Book Club

"From the illustration of a lone boat adrift in a wash of dry heat that graces the cover of Adrift at Sea, to the dark and engrossing images of Tuan's steps along the journey, Brian Deines' art is evocative and integrative, resplendent in complementary colours of orange and golds and blues and purples."—CanLit for LittleCanadians

"I loved the 'before' and 'after' pictures as well as the brief historical overview of events relating to the war in Vietnam....The soft-focus artwork done by Brian Deines that illustrates each page is amazing....The author has produced a very readable book that both parents and children should read together. I highly recommend this beautiful book."—Sandra Olshaski, Library of Clean Reads

"My 12 year-old son read this story too and felt saddened by Tuan['s] harrowing escape....The illustrations are simply beautiful and the style perfect for this dramatic story....I highly recommend this book as a teaching tool and feel that it should be in every library."—Laura Fabiani, Library of Clean Reads

"The authors include personal photographs of Tuan's family, before their escape and following their settling in Canada, to help readers understand this historical moment in time....Brian Deines (as he always does) has created truly beautiful artwork using oils on canvas to bring Tuan's story to this book's readers."—Sal's Fiction Addiction

"[A] stunning book...[Tuan's] flight would be traumatic: terror, grief, gunfire, strangers, and perilous days adrift at sea. This taut account conveys exceptionally well just what refugee children endure, enlarging our compassion and will to be among those who welcome, comfort, and receive them today. Deines' brilliant paintings easily carry the weight of this story and knit our hearts to Tuan's family."—Orange Marmalade

"[The young narrator] still very clearly depicts the fear, the hot sun, lack of water, and relief at being rescued at an age appropriate level that any young reader will be able understand....Deines's highly textured oil on canvas illustrations capture all the secrecy, fear, and perils, all wrapped up in the dangerously hazy, hot, and humid weather...Adrift at Sea is a powerful historical nonfiction story that can certainly help shed light on events of the past that share a similarity to those that are happening in the world today."—The Children's War

"This beautiful nonfiction picture book tells a powerful story of survival...Tuan Ho's account of his family's perilous trip, along with beautiful oil paintings to illustrate this narrative, make this a terrific resource for anyone who wants to learn more about Vietnamese refugees..."—Jana the Teacher

"This is one of the most beautiful and powerful picture books I've seen in a long time. I was...blown away by the emotional impact of both the story and the illustrations. It would make a perfect edition to any middle or high school history classroom. I STRONGLY recommend this one!"—Book Dreaming

From the Publisher

The text is terse and unembellished, leaving the images to capture the emotions through color and perspective—and they do so with compelling immediacy.

Booklist

Back matter includes photographs of the family, later reunited. The illustrations are oil on canvas; they help in telling the story of risks that the Vietnamese "Boat People" faced. Verdict: Today 11 million illegal immigrants are in the United States, seeking a better life. This book should be read aloud to classes who are discussing the issue of refugees and illegal immigration in the USA.

Oregon Coast Youth Book Preview Center

The evocative text and powerful illustrations, painted with oils, enable readers to feel as though they, too, are refugees adrift at sea during this risky journey to freedom.

Literacy Daily

The beautiful, full-page oil paintings effectively convey the dangerous escape, the blistering heat, and the loneliness of being adrift on the ocean....This is an especially useful book to help students understand why refugees are still crowding into boats and risking everything for a better life even today.

School Library Connection

This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of Tuan's days at sea and their eventual rescue by American sailors. End pages include photographs and information that round out the story and tell of Tuan's life in with his family in Toronto.

Nerdy Book Club

...[A] powerful story, and it doesn’t shy away from the dangers experienced—sometimes fatally—by the refugees.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

This is one of the most beautiful and powerful picture books I’ve seen in a long time. I was...blown away by the emotional impact of both the story and the illustrations. It would make a perfect edition to any middle or high school history classroom. I STRONGLY recommend this one!

Book Dreaming

Brian Deines’ subtle double-page oil paintings add greatly to the mood and text of this story....This book is very timely as we have so many refugees from war torn countries in the Middle East now attempting to make their way to a better life under the same kind of conditions that the Vietnamese people experienced back in 1981....I would highly recommend this book for all school and public libraries.

Resource Links

The illustrations in this book, full color paintings, are absolutely stunning....Brian Deines, has outdone himself in two-page spreads that bring this refugee story to life....[A] good introduction to the subject of the Vietnamese boat people...

Semicolon

[A]n amazing story.

Teacher Dance

This fascinating read gives a glimpse of the struggle and bravery of a refugee....This is a powerful tale that enables children to learn about a time in history that they may not know about.

The Crimson Review of Children's and YA Literature

[The young narrator] still very clearly depicts the fear, the hot sun, lack of water, and relief at being rescued at an age appropriate level that any young reader will be able understand….Deines’s highly textured oil on canvas illustrations capture all the secrecy, fear, and perils, all wrapped up in the dangerously hazy, hot, and humid weather…Adrift at Sea is a powerful historical nonfiction story that can certainly help shed light on events of the past that share a similarity to those that are happening in the world today.

The Children's War

Filled with urgency, fear, and ultimately hope, Tuan’s real-life odyssey proves to be an illuminating inspiration for all readers.

Smithsonian Book Dragon

Recommend to teachers to supplement studies about the Vietnam War or current events with an example of how non-combatants can be affected by the outcome of wars.

Youth Services Book Review

I loved the "before" and "after" pictures as well as the brief historical overview of events relating to the war in Vietnam....The soft-focus artwork done by Brian Deines that illustrates each page is amazing....The author has produced a very readable book that both parents and children should read together. I highly recommend this beautiful book.

Sandra Olshaski Library of Clean Reads

From the illustration of a lone boat adrift in a wash of dry heat that graces the cover of Adrift at Sea, to the dark and engrossing images of Tuan’s steps along the journey, Brian Deines’ art is evocative and integrative, resplendent in complementary colours of orange and golds and blues and purples.

CanLit for LittleCanadians

Adrift at Sea is a heartwarming story that will prompt young people to be grateful for the good things in their lives, and highly recommended.

Midwest Book Review

This beautiful nonfiction picture book tells a powerful story of survival...Tuan Ho's account of his family's perilous trip, along with beautiful oil paintings to illustrate this narrative, make this a terrific resource for anyone who wants to learn more about Vietnamese refugees...

Jana the Teacher

…Tuan’s dramatic story of survival comes alive in Skrypuch’s capable hands. The heart-pounding action alone is enough to captivate readers, but Skrypuch also incorporates moments of great poignancy that add depth and emotion…. Deines’s accompanying artwork is achingly beautiful….That danger can exist amid such beauty is an important lesson to learn. That the human spirit can triumph under the most trying of conditions is even more important.

Quill and Quire

My 12 year-old son read this story too and felt saddened by Tuan[’s] harrowing escape....The illustrations are simply beautiful and the style perfect for this dramatic story....I highly recommend this book as a teaching tool and feel that it should be in every library.

Laura Fabiani and Son Library of Clean Reads

This beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture book introduces the reader to a real family....An interesting read that explains why and how people are sometimes forced to flee and find a new homeland.

The International Educator

The authors include personal photographs of Tuan’s family, before their escape and following their settling in Canada, to help readers understand this historical moment in time….Brian Deines (as he always does) has created truly beautiful artwork using oils on canvas to bring Tuan’s story to this book’s readers.

Sal's Fiction Addiction

This book is true, and it is really sad....[it] is a good book to help you understand how people feel and the things they have to do if they feel like they need to run away from bad things that are happening where they live.—Rachel, Age 9

Kids BookBuzz

The amazing life-like illustrations and large format makes it an engaging read-aloud. I appreciated the historical facts and real photos of Tuan in his family included at the back of the book.

readingpowergear.wordpress.com

[A] stunning book...[Tuan's] flight would be traumatic: terror, grief, gunfire, strangers, and perilous days adrift at sea. This taut account conveys exceptionally well just what refugee children endure, enlarging our compassion and will to be among those who welcome, comfort, and receive them today. Deines' brilliant paintings easily carry the weight of this story and knit our hearts to Tuan's family.

Orange Marmalade

11/01/2016
Gr 1–4—A personal account of one family's escape from Vietnam following the fall of Saigon. Ho, only six years old at the time, tells a remarkable tale of perseverance that involved attacks from soldiers, a broken boat at sea, and a trip that was intended to last four days but went horribly awry. Amazingly, throughout the harrowing journey, his family remained intact. "It's hard to find a place to sit, but finally we huddle together, clutching hands and falling asleep to the lullaby of slapping waves and the growl of the motor." Back matter includes family photographs, maps, and a historical note about the Vietnam War and the resulting refugee crisis, which makes this title helpful for discussing the topics of relocation and the history of refugee placement. The narrative, while gripping, includes vocabulary words like skiff, bailing, adrift, and tethers that young children unfamiliar with sailing are unlikely to recognize. Deines's illustrations, created with oil paint on canvas, provide some contextual background but have a muted palette and tend to minimize the story's emotion and sense of urgency. VERDICT This is a solid informational resource that can be used for introducing a refugee's experience.—Megan Egbert, Meridian Library District, ID

School Library Journal

Aug. 30, 2016
A young Vietnamese boy and his family flee Vietnam in search of a better life.Along with co-author Skrypuch, Vietnamese-Canadian Ho recounts his family’s flight from Vietnam in 1981. At the book’s outset, 6-year-old Ho returns home from school to learn that he, his mother, and his two older sisters will leave Vietnam that very night. Each hour of the Ho family’s flight is fraught with danger. Soldiers shoot at them on the beach when they make a run toward a skiff. Their boat springs a leak, and soon after, the motor dies, leaving 60 passengers adrift in the middle of the sea with little water and food. Throughout the harrowing passage, Ho’s mother is by his side, comforting him. On the sixth day of their four-day journey, an American aircraft carrier spots their boat and offers the Vietnamese passengers refuge. Skrypuch and Ho’s retelling focuses mostly on actions and events with scant attention to the 6-year-old boy’s emotional state. The primary narrative provides little context for readers who are unfamiliar with the Vietnamese refugee crisis, but detailed authors’ notes include history, photographs, and maps. The warm undertones in Deines’ oil paintings evoke tropical Vietnam. However, his soft, slightly out-of-focus images give Ho’s story a dreamlike feel that dampens the danger recounted within the text, according readers a luxury not afforded to Ho and the legions of other refugee children suffering through crisis, then and now. An adequate introduction to the Vietnamese refugee journey for young readers (Picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Review