6/8/2023 0 Comments An Ocean Apart by Gillian Chan![]() ![]() The sun is relentless, the ants are attacked by seagulls, they starve, a storm capsizes their boat, and many ants are lost. The story switches to the perspective of a family of ants who have boarded the paper boat. They follow the insects to water and manage to meet up with the boat that will take them to safety. ![]() After they eat, the girl spots a trail of ants in the moonlight. The mother gives the hungry girl a bun wrapped in paper, which she then folds into a paper boat. When the army arrives, the family must flee, and in the chaos, the girl and her mother become separated from the others, and get lost in the jungle. As the adults around her frantically make plans for escape, she dips her chopstick into the bowl to save the drowning insects. Boat People starts with a story inspired by Thao's mother's life: a young girl watches as a bowl of sugar water is put out to attract (and get rid of) some pesky aunts. ![]() When Thao started thinking about how to tell this story, she couldn't stop thinking about ants: small, seemingly insignificant creatures who are able to travel amazingly long distances overwater, work hard, and thrive on almost every continent on the planet. Thao Lam's family came to Canada as refugees during the Vietnam War. ![]()
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