When I first saw Words Between Us as an online reader copy and noticed the cover, it made me assume that this was going to be a grandparent/grandchild story and one where their language difficulties would cause problems. However, I was mostly right. This was a grandmother and grandson story, but they are able to speak to each other (both speak Vietnamese). They have a tight and special bond as time goes by and the two of them learn about each other. However, the grandmother does not speak English well, therefore when they are separated at the amusement park, the grandmother becomes “lost” and afraid, as she is unable to ask for help. When Felix, the grandson, offers to teach her English (because he sees how afraid she was and his upsets him, too), this strengthens their bond and allows the reader to gain empathy and understanding that even adults can be afraid, and even though we are kids, we can help our older family members in special ways.
I liked this twist to a familiar story. The frustration the child feels when a grandparent moves into the home, especially with a language barrier, has been done. This takes the story not only in a new direction, but Angela Pham Krans puts a positive spin on it from the start, making it a happy book, and one that did not make me want to be frustrated at the frustration. I liked the way they combined their talents (the boy teaching English, and later the grandmother teaching us about Vietnamese pizza)
Not only are there the fun, colorful, and tone setting illustrations of Dung Ho, there are several extras at the end such as a recipe for the pizza the grandmother makes. Plus there are a few Vietnamese words you can learn. Due early October 2023 read via an online reader copy