Navigating Night

Written by Julie Leung · Illustrated by Angie Kang

A girl navigates her father's delivery route, uncovering family history and understanding.

4.5/5 Goodreads · 325 ratings

48 pages

$18.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Every night, a girl helps her father deliver Chinese take-out, resenting the task and feeling different from other kids. As she guides him with Cantonese directions, she learns of his solitary immigration journey. This revelation transforms her perspective, deepening her appreciation for their shared sacrifices and the life he has built for her. Will she embrace her unique family story?

From the publisher

A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner! A girl guides her dad on his route delivering Chinese take-out food in this touching picture book – written by an APALA award winner and illustrated by a Caldecott Honor winner – that celebrates the unique bond between immigrant parents and their children. Every night, a girl must help her dad, whose English is not as good as hers, make deliveries for their small family restaurant. Sitting next to him in the car, she studies a map and gives him directions in Cantonese. She helps him get to the places he needs to go. She hates doing this, though. Hates carrying grease-stained boxes of Mongolian beef and moo goo gai pan to customers’ doors. Hates being different from the kids behind these doors. Why can’t her family be normal like everyone else’s? But when her dad tells her about how he immigrated, all alone as a teenager, to the United States, she comes to better understand him, and appreciate how he has made her American life possible.