“When someone falls, you have to pick them up and lift them higher than they were before!”
~From the Tops of the Trees by Kao Kalia Yang
Books introduce us to possibilities we’ve never imagined. This is beautifully exemplified in From the Tops of the Trees, a memoir picture book by Kao Kalia Yang.
Kalia has only known life inside Ban Vinai refugee camp. One day, a young Kalia asks, “Father, is all the world a refugee camp?” To answer her question, Kalia’s father wraps her arms around his shoulders and climbs to the top of the tallest tree in the camp, showing her the land beyond its gates. On one side of the tree, she sees the familiar home she grew up in: its dogs, its houses, her family. On the other side, she sees the terrain outside camp walls: the birds, the mountains, the skyline.
Kalia’s world expands in an instant. This glimpse at the vast possibilities ahead of her inspire her to hold onto hope and dream of a future beyond the camp.She asks to go to the treetops again and again, looking side by side at the home she loves and the land she has yet to explore.
Reading is its own climb to the treetops. A single page illustrates windows to experiences beyond our own and mirrors reflecting our lives. Books grow branches for little feet to reach new heights.
This is why stories are at the core of AmazeWorks. When our worlds expand, we create new possibilities. We create belonging. This newsletter aims to do the same, sharing the power of stories to take us on the climb of our lives.
Speaking of gripping books by Kao Kalia Yang, you’re invited to our two-for-one book launch special to celebrate her newest titles. The Blue House I Loved and A Home on the Page share how Hmong refugee families make a home in Minnesota.
Join us on Thursday, April 16 from 5:30-7:30pm to celebrate these moving stories and enjoy two performances by Mississippi Creative Arts School students. 🌟
In this book, Kao Kalia Yang tells of an early memory with her father at the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp in Thailand. After asking her father about war, he helps her discover that there is a vast world outside of the camp, which is all she knows. This moment symbolizes the vast possibilities ahead of her, inspiring her to hold onto hope and dream of a future beyond the camp. Both lyrical and poetic, this story highlights the power of imagination to see beyond the dark realities of war and displacement and into a future full of beauty, hope, and love.
From the Tops of the Trees is one of the six powerful stories in the AmazeWorks Courageous Children book set, showing children how they can make a difference and create a meaningful impact. It was also distributed in Belonging Book Bags to Minneapolis children sheltering in place, donated in English and Spanish by Lerner Publishing Group.
“When someone falls, you have to pick them up and lift them higher than they were before!”
~From the Tops of the Trees by Kao Kalia Yang
We’re proud to share that AmazeWorks provided 515 Belonging Book Bags to Minneapolis families sheltering in place. ❤️
We hope that Belonging Book Bags embody the above quote in From the Tops of the Trees. ICE knocked our neighbors down, forcing many families to seek safety by staying inside their homes. The contents of Belonging Book Bags—identity-affirming books, wellness activities, and read aloud guides—supply children with tree branches to lift them higher than they ever imagined.
To counter harmful rhetoric around immigrant families, Belonging Book Bags take children to worlds where they are fully seen, valued, and supported—to the orchestra in A is for Oboe, an island formed by fire in Galápagos Girl, a luau celebration in Ohana Means Family, and more exciting places.
Using Windows & Mirrors to Climb to Treetops
This wellness activity and three others were shared with families in Belonging Book Bags. All are appropriate for both adults and children to do together in order to model skills for reducing anxiety and boosting resilience.🕺
Materials Needed:
Instructions:
We’re moving! Please direct mail to our new address, which is:
AmazeWorks
PO Box 8167
St. Paul, MN 55108
Speaking of moving, our Persona Dolls (on sale now) would like to move to your schools instead of our new storage space! Teachers, librarians, and counselors, visit our shop to find the right doll for your students.Plus, discount codes to make the deal even better:
Use code BOOKSET20 for $20 off any Persona Doll Book Set
Use code PERSONA25 for an additional $25 off any doll
Do you have a Thrivent membership? Don’t forget to direct 2025 Choice Dollars® to AmazeWorks by March 31! Anyone can donate using Thrivent’s online giving platform, and eligible Thrivent clients can direct Choice Dollars®. Click here to direct your Thrivent Choice and support belonging with AmazeWorks.
We’re exhibiting at the PLA Conference! Join us April 1–3 for three days of learning, connection, and shared purpose with public library professionals from across the country. You don’t want to miss these keynote speakers: Bryan Stevenson, Dr. Ruha Benjamin, and Chef Sean Sherman!