My First Day

Reach for this book when your child is facing a major transition, like starting school, and feels overwhelmed by the 'bigness' of the world. It follows a young boy navigating the vast Mekong Delta alone in a small boat, transforming a potentially scary first day into a mythic quest. Through lush, immersive illustrations, the story validates a child's anxiety while modeling how curiosity and steady persistence can turn fear into a sense of personal power. It is ideal for ages 4 to 8, providing a beautiful cultural window into Vietnam while speaking to the universal human experience of finding one's way through the unknown. Parents will value how it frames independence not as the absence of fear, but as the courage to keep rowing through it.