Today is Thai day at our international school in Thailand. Students and teachers dress up in Thai traditional styles, and there are activities throughout the day that celebrate Thai culture. I thought it was a perfect time to share books that either are set in Thailand or celebrate Thai culture/language. Click on the titles of the books to see my full review and any content notes/trigger warnings.
All Thirteen: the Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat
The story of the rescue of the boys' soccer team from a flooded cave in Northern Thailand.
Soontornvat's telling stands out for the way she can relate aspects of Thai culture and Western culture, and how the two cultures perspectives on leadership, how to respond to stressful situations, and how to handle a crisis sometimes resulted in misunderstandings or tricky situations for rescue workers. Soontornvat is Thai American and has family who still lives in Thailand, so she was able to get inside the heads of the boys, their families, and the Thai rescue workers AND the foreign rescue workers like few others could. She relates the story in a high action way, so that even though you know the outcome, it is still a riveting read.
Target Readers:
True Thriller Fans, Rescue & Survival Story Fans, Soccer Fans, Nonfiction Readers, Thai American Author Fans, Thai Setting Fans, Award Winner Readers, Middle Grade/Young Adult Readers
Drawn Together by Minh Lê, ill. by Dan Santat
A little boy gets dropped off at his grandfather's house. But the boy only speaks English and his grandfather only speaks Thai. Things are pretty awkward until they find that they both like and can communicate with art.
For those who can't read Thai, the translations of what the grandfather says can be found on the copyright information page. The grandfather's drawings look like traditional Thai folklore art, while the boy's looks more modern. This is a beautiful celebration of a grandparent/grandchild relationship that breaks a language barrier. The artist, Dan Santat, is Thai American. And fun fact, the title font is inspired by the Thai alphabet (the a, w, n, and o are real Thai letters though most make different sounds in Thai, the e is an upside down version of another Thai letter and the r is a backwards version of yet another Thai letter).
Target Readers:
Grandparent/Grandchild Story Fans, Art Lovers, Bilingual Book Fans, Thai American Artist Fans, Picture Book Readers
The Floating Field: How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field by Scott Riley, ill. by Nguyen Quang & Kim Lien
A picture book history of a group of boys on an island in Southern Thailand who built themselves a floating soccer field in desperation for a place to play. Their first competition against other teams, and how their island supported them is also related.
The back of the book gives further information about the boys (who are now grown, the first floating field was built in the 1980s), the accolades of the team, and the current state of the field (which has been upgraded by the government).
Target Readers:
Soccer Fans, Nonfiction Fans, Ingenuity Story Fans, Thailand Setting Fans, Picture Book Readers/Lower Grade Readers
Frost Friends Forever (Diary of an Ice Princess, #2) by Christina Soontornvat, ill. by Barbara Szepesi Szucs
Lina is super excited that her best friend Claudia is going to sleep over at her family's castle during the school break. But she's also nervous. She's never had Claudia over to spend the night and she's worried about making everything perfect. And that gets even more challenging when her Great-Aunt Eastia shows up for a visit at the same time. Can Lina make sure Claudia has a good time?
If you think the author’s name looks familiar, it’s because she also wrote All Thirteen mentioned above. Soontornvat has created Lina's mom's family to have touches of Thai culture mixed in with their magical weather abilities. The lovely multicultural set of characters, relatable issues, and fun weather magic all combine to create a great book and series.
Target Readers:
Fantasy Fans, Sleepover Story Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Thai American Author Fans, Multicultural Story Fans, Thai Influence Fantasy Fans, Lower Grade Readers
Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho, ill. by Holly Meade
A simple tale of a Thai mother trying to quiet all the animals and people down so baby can sleep, but baby has other plans.
The onomatopoiea made by the people and animals is fun because it is written "Thai style," not necessarily the sounds that Americans use. If you like this book, see if you can find Minfong Ho & Holly Meade's other similar title, Peek!: a Thai Hide-and-Seek.
Target Readers:
Thai Countryside Setting Fans, Animal Sounds in Various Cultures Studiers, Animal Story Fans, Humorous Story Fans, Award Winner Readers, Picture Book Readers
Mela and the Elephant by Dow Phumiruk, ill. by Ziyue Chen
Mela sets out to explore the river, ignoring her brother's pleas to take him with her because he has nothing to give her in exchange. But when Mela gets swept downriver and attempts to barter with various animals for kindness, she finds kindness can't be bought.
There's a great note on life in Thailand and Thai customs in the back of the book. And this is another book by a Thai American author (who also illustrates books, look later in this list for one of the books she’s illustrated).
Target Readers:
Fable Fans, Animal Lovers, Sibling Story Fans, Kindness Story Fans, Thai American Author Fans, Picture Book Readers
Nu Dang and His Kite by Jacqueline Ayer
Nu Dang loves his kite, so when the wind snatches it away he paddles all over the village to see if he can find where it flew off to.
The premise of the hunt allows readers to see much of Nu Dang’s 1950s Thailand (which is also when this book originally came out), with a much more water-based transportation system than today. Modern readers will have fun spotting things that have changed since then, and things that have remained pretty much the same (like the types of vendors at the market).
Target Readers:
Historical Fiction Fans, Slice of Life Story Fans, Kite Story Fans, Thai Setting Fans, Picture Book Readers
Tara and the Towering Wave: an Indian Ocean Tsunami Survival Story by Cristina Oxtra, ill. by Francesca Ficorilli
Tara and her mother are headed to Thailand for the Christmas holidays. Her mother wants to explore the place where her parents immigrated from in Koh Lak, near Phuket, Thailand. At first Tara isn't too excited about the long trip from Minnesota, but once she gets there the beautiful beach and yummy food start to grow on her. The day after Christmas she and her mom decide to go to the market for breakfast and some touristy shopping. While there a tsunami hits and Tara must struggle to survive and then find her Mom.
This is part of the Girls Survive series which features fictional stories of girls set in historic disasters. They are all under 120 pages and include illustrations that help make the story move quickly. This book in the series is a well done reimagining of what it would have been like for a girl who is of Thai heritage but doesn't know any Thai language to have been caught in the 2004 tsunami. It is sobering but done in an age-appropriate way for middle grade readers.
Target Readers:
Survival Story Fans, Disaster Story Fans, Thailand Setting Fans, Thai American Character Fans, Reluctant Readers, Quick Read Fans, Middle Grade Readers
Titan and the Wild Boars: the True Cave Rescue of the Thai Soccer Team by Susan Hood & Patthana Sornhiran, ill. by Dow Phumiruk
A picture book retelling of the rescue of the Wild Boar soccer team from the cave they were stranded in because of monsoon rains.
For those who aren’t ready for the length of details involved in All Thirteen, this is a splendid picture book retelling of the cave rescue of the soccer team. The co-author is Thai, and the illustrator is Thai American (if her name looks familiar, she wrote Mela and the Elephant mentioned up above).
Target Readers:
Rescue & Survival Story Fans, Nonfiction Fans, Soccer Fans, Picture Book Readers, Lower Grade/Middle Grade Readers
A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
Pong is itching to be free. But freedom can’t be anything but a dream for a boy who was born in Namwon prison. He and his best friend Somkit are stuck in the prison until they are 13 just because their moms were put in prison. Their mothers are both gone, but the boys have to stay. And there isn’t much hope for them once they get out. Everyone believes that those born of prisoners will just end up back in prison, and in Chattana that happens frequently. When Pong sees his chance to escape one day, he takes it, though he feels guilty for leaving Somkit behind. The years pass and the boys find themselves reunited in the middle of a city that is tired of chafing under the Governor’s rules that favors the rich and keeps the poor and downtrodden in poverty. The Governor brought magical orbs of light to Chattana and helped rebuild it after the Great Fire. But his light has come at a price. The prison warden’s daughter is also on Pong’s trail, determined to prove herself with his capture. She was brought up believing that the Governor’s rules were all good and right, but her quest to capture Pong is leading her to areas where everything she has believed comes into question. Is freedom even something a kid like Pong can dream about, or is it an impossible dream?
Soontornvat has recreated a fantasy version of Thailand here. The food, the customs, the names are all authentically Thai. But the political situation and the magical orbs that the Governor can create are fantasy (and inspired by Les Miserables). The book tackles questions of justice, poverty, wrongful incarceration, and other human rights issues in creative ways. How can people stuck in cycles of poverty can get out when the system is set up against them? When do the punishments stop for people who were once incarcerated? Are laws really just, or are they merely convenient for certain people? Those are deep, hard questions, but wrapped up in a dystopian fantasy they are a little easier to start thinking about. This is a book to chew on long after the covers are closed. And yes, this is Christina Soontornvat's 3rd book in this list. She has done so much to bring Thai culture into the English-speaking book world of late!
Target Readers:
Dystopia Fans, Fantasy Fans, Thai Inspired Fantasy Fans, Fans of Books That Make You Think, Les Mis Adaptation Fans, Human Rights Issues Story Fans, Friendship Story Fans, Adventure Fans, Award Winner Readers, Middle Grade Readers
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