Caged - by Kao Kalia Yang (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A young Hmong girl has never been outside the camp she lives in with her parents and thousands of other families. Most days, she spends her time playing with her cousins and pretending they can fly above the clouds and far away from here. When her family's papers are finally approved, she's uncertain if she's ready to leave everything--and everyone--she's ever known behind. But on the day she leaves, her favorite aunt, Golden Flower, sees her off with the words, Your wings have arrived"--Publisher's website.

Book Synopsis

A poignant picture book about a young Hmong girl born and raised in a refugee camp who imagines what lies beyond the bounds of its borders.

A young Hmong girl has never been outside the camp she lives in with her parents and thousands of other families. Most days, she spends her time playing with her cousins and pretending they can fly above the clouds and far away from here.

When her family's papers are finally approved, she's uncertain if she's ready to leave everything--and everyone--she's ever known behind. But on the day she leaves, her favorite aunt, Golden Flower, sees her off with the words, Your wings have arrived.

With poetic text by Kalia Kao Yang and stunning art by Khou Vue, Caged is about the power of imagination, resilience, and dreaming of freedom.

Review Quotes

Praise for Caged By Kao Kalia Yang:

A Bank Street Best Book of 2025

"Offers deep emotional insight into the refugee experience." --Kirkus Reviews

"A valuable resource for a unit or lesson on refugees and immigration." --BCCB

About the Author

Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong American writer. She is the author of the adult memoirs The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, The Song Poet, and Somewhere in the Unknown World. Yang is also the author of the children's books A Map Into the World, The Shared Room, The Most Beautiful Thing, and Yang Warriors. Her work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Chautauqua Prize, the PEN USA literary awards, the Dayton's Literary Peace Prize, the American Library Association, Kirkus Best Books of the Year, the Heartland Bookseller's Award, and has garnered four Minnesota Book Awards. Kao Kalia Yang lives in Minnesota with her family, and teaches and speaks across the nation.

Khou Vue is a first-generation Hmong American graphic designer and illustrator with a BFA from Kent State University. In her spare time, she loves traveling the world with her daughter and husband. She also loves trying out every bakery/ice cream shop she comes across and scoping out the children's section of bookstores.