My Words Flew Away Like Birds

My Words Flew Away Like Birds tells a powerful and poignant story about a girl who immigrates to a new country with her parents and the journey of her language learning and identity searching. The language everyone in the new country speaks feels so strange to her. The fast speed of their speaking does not help either. It feels like all her “words flew away like birds”. All she could do is to wait, and to watch, and to listen, making her best efforts to make meaning of her everyday life, trying to figure things out through observation and thinking. Not being able to communicate fluidly brings a sense of loneliness and homesickness – she misses the trees, the sky, the park at home, the bread made by her grandfather, and most importantly, the friends who understand her. Then one spring day, she meets a new friend and starts to use the new words more fluently. Finally, the words that flew away are coming back to her and becoming part of her words.

In elegant and poetic language, author Debora Pearson brings to readers a story of a young immigrant child. The first-person perspective quickly invites the reader to empathize and connect with the young girl. My Words Flew Away Like Birds is the epitome of many immigration stories. I appreciate the author’s work to bring to the forefront the often less-discussed experience of a first-generation young immigrant. Language, as social conduct of the societal context one lives in as well as the externalization of one’s inner thoughts, has a complex and very deep connection with one’s identity. Moving to a new country is not only a change of geographical environment, but it is also a shift of social, cultural, and linguistic context. The learning of a new language and the searching for one’s identity at a young age can be a very difficult and exhausting task, especially when these children have not been equipped with adequate knowledge and tools to navigate such heavy topics. Yet, these young immigrants, like the girl in this book, manage to swim through the rough ocean and find their way with their most powerful tools – courage, curiosity, and the brave embracement of experience. It is their bravery that eventually leads to the successful acquisition of the new language and the affirmation of their identity. That bravery also builds connections and establishes relationships – the young girl makes new friends. The comfort and security that come with the friendship become a new tool that helps her move forward.

Shrija Jain’s illustrations add great value to the story. Her playful and meaningful use of fonts makes visible to the reader the role of language in the young girl’s new life. The pictures, by presenting a childish and innocent vibe, support the young girl’s experience.

The stories of immigrant children should be brought to the centre of education. This picture book will also be a great resource for young children who have immigration experience as it allows them to see themselves and know that they are not alone. My Words Flew Away Like Birds is indeed a much-needed picture book in today’s Canadian classrooms, libraries, and families.