I can't imagine how hard it must be to speak a different language than your family members. This is a charming book that deals with that subject and the joys of connecting by learning new things.

Beautiful story about family connections despite cultural and language barriers. All whilst perfectly depicting anxiety. Stunning illustrations.

Nhia is quite anxious: she's going visit her grandparents but she can't speak Hmong and she's afraid of not being able to communicate with them. But one step at a time, with a bit of time, smiles, and love, she finds a way to manage her anxiety and see how much her grandparents love her - even if they don't speak the same language.
So lovely and beautiful illustrations!

Absolutely fantastic illustrations - Karen Donnelly has done some really beautiful work - that are compounded with an immensely cute narrative of what it means to be a family. But, urgh, as a side effect of reading this book, it makes me wish I could taste some Hmong food right now.

Sometimes even if family's you might understand what your family members are saying and there can be miscommunications. This is a short story about a girl who goes and visits her grandparents who don't speak very good English. She is very nervous but the trip turns out all good in the end and they have a better understanding before they go home. This is a great book for those who have family members who speak another language. It can be hard when you want to get close to someone but there is a communication barrier.

This was beautiful and educational. I would've liked it to be longer, that's how much I liked the story, characters, the family relationships and the drawing style.
We see the protagonist growing and overcoming hurdles, which is inspirational.

There's so much I loved about this story - the illustrations, the themes, the breezy pace.
It's comfort reading - if you feel anxious about seemingly harmless situations, highly recommend this book. Also touches upon cultural diversity, linguistic ties, the comfort of familiarity and so on.

It's the kind of book you'd also like to re-read many time as it will serve different meanings for you each time. Loved it!

This book is short but fun! I think not being able to connect with grandparents and parents is so relatable to first generation immigrants especially. I do wish we had spent more time with Nhia's grandparents because that arc felt very short and I wish we had seen more interaction between Nhia's parents and her grandparents.

It was a little too short. It wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be. I liked the premise, but I wish it had been a little longer and/or more detailed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!
This was a great short read. It dealt with anxiety and reconnecting with culture in your family.
I would definitely have my students read this to see a character who experiences the same emotions as them.

The main character has anxiety and gets over it within minutes. Good for her.
This book was way too short to tell any story in my opinion.

A short and sweet story of a girl visiting her grandparents and struggling with anxiety and a language barrier. It was very short, but very sweet, and the resources at the end were a nice touch.

Good read. Shows how hard life can be for immigrants and their children especially when there is a language barrier. Generational trauma talked about and worked through. I loved every moment of it.

3 out of 5 Star

It was short, cute, and sweet but something about the art style was unsettling for me.

This is a short novella, I would categorize it, about anxiety with the disconnect between one's culture. I went into it thinking it would be longer and more depth- that's the main disappointing part. For its target age group, I think it's a good start for addressing such anxiety in them with not knowing the language of their grandparents. I wished there was a bit more, though.

Thank you, #NetGalley for the ARC. All words are mine. #LosingItInTranslation

Nhia is going to visit her grandparents on their farm, but she is third generation hmong in America, and she has not learned the language, and her grandparents don’t speak much English. She is scared that she won’t know how to talk to them. She gets all nervous just thinking about it.

She needn’t have feared. She finds that these are people they love, and there are more than words to communicate. And her grandfather helps her learn words for various farm animals.

The back of the book has information on how to handle your anxiety, which is very helpful, because kids get anxious about all sorts of things.

Cute, quick story. Plus we get to pick up some Hmong words along the way.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 1st of August 2024.

Beautiful and fun illustrations. A simple but impactful story about family and mental health and stress

I really enjoyed the Nhia Normal! I like that it was a family story but also that sometimes visiting family can be anxiety provoking. I liked the coping skills listed at the back, as well as the information about Hmong culture.

I wish I had a book like this growing up. At the same time, it makes me hopeful for the younger generation. I related so much to this. Definitely recommend!

Loved the illustrations a lot and the way mental health and anxiety was portrayed. Also a great way to share information about Hmong people and their community with the readers.