The Words We Share

The Words We Share by Jack Wong is a story about a father and a daughter and the words that bring them together with their community.

Angie and her father moved to Canada from China. Although Angie has learned lots of English in school, her father still only speaks Cantonese. When Angie helps him make signs to post at his workplace, she gets an idea to make other English signs for the local business owners.

Jack Wong has written this lovely story not only about family, in this case a father and his daughter, but also about community building through communication. In the story one of the business owners is frustrated with Angie because her sign caused his customers to have trouble with their washing. When she and her father go over to see him, all of a sudden her father is speaking a different language, one Angie doesn’t know. Jack Wong builds empathy within the story by describing how it feels for people who arrive in a new place and can’t speak the language, how isolating and scary it can be.

I love that the book is not only written in English, but also in Chinese characters when Angie’s father is speaking. It’s a lovely way of making a connection between their old home and their new one. I also love the entrepreneurial spirit that flows through the story as Angie helps her neighbours create English signs for their businesses to help their customers.

Jack Wong’s illustrations are enticing and welcoming to readers. I love how his illustrative style changes depending on the mood and tone of the writing. In this story the illustrations are bold and vivid focusing on the Angie and her dad.