Hmong children's book aims to bridge gap

Link to July 17 Wausau Daily Herald article.

Excerpt:
A new children's book by a Stevens Point author aims to educate people about the Hmong culture.

Published by the Portage County Literacy Council, Maiker Vang's "Grandma's Hmong New Year Celebration" teaches people of all ages and nationalities why the Hmong celebrate the way they do.

Filled with intricate colored-pencil drawings and written in three dialects, it tells the story of a Hmong woman from Laos who is teaching her American Hmong granddaughter about the Hmong New Year.

"I know that ... a lot of people ... do not understand why we have to celebrate the way we do," Vang said. "That's why I tried to develop this book."

Vang immigrated to the United States from a Thai refugee camp in 1976 when she was 11.

Link to Hmong ABC Bookstore in St. Paul, MN.

According to its website, HMONG ABC is the first and the only Hmong bookstore in the world. It was started by Yuepheng L. Xiong and his wife Shoua V. Xiong in 1995. HMONG ABC has the best collections of Hmong books. It also carries many other products such as Paj Ntaub, hand-made clothings and jackets, arts and artifacts.