Naliah tries on her mother’s yellow áo dài (dress), embroidered with swans and water lilies, to practice the Fan Dance she’s going to perform at school. When she accidentally rips the dress, she hides it away in the closet. Then her mother gives Naliah a new yellow áo dài and tells the story of her own yellow dress—the one with swans and water lilies that her own mother, Naliah’s grandmother, wore to perform the Fan Dance back in Vietnam. Heartbroken, Naliah confesses, sure she’s ruined her Grandmother’s special dress. Naliah gets reassurance and a surprise from her mom—it turns out she ripped the dress when she was a little girl, too! Naliah’s grandmother added the water lilies to cover the rip that Naliah’s mother made, and now Naliah’s mother will embroider a frog to cover the new tear. Naliah’s brief worry and anxiety over the accidental tear is palpable and relatable, while the story of the dress’s history, and the resolution, are terrifically satisfying in this pleasing story paired with warm digital illustrations. (Ages 3-7)

Lovingly illustrated by Minnie Phan, Hanh Bui’s debut picture book, The Yellow Áo Dài, is a warm story of family, identity, and remembering those who came before.

Naliah is excited to perform a traditional Vietnamese Fan Dance at her school’s International Day. When she finds that her special áo dài no longer fits right, she goes to her mom’s closet to find another.

She puts on a pretty yellow one—only to accidentally rip it while practicing her dance. She’s horrified to discover that this was a very special áo dài that her grandmother had worn to dance at the Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam.

But with a little help from her mom’s sewing kit and her grandmother’s loving legacy, Naliah learns not only how to mend the yellow áo dài but also how to believe in herself and make it her own.