A 2024 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
"In a striking nonfiction picture book, Nomads, Kinchoi Lam presents the customs, beliefs and future prospects of seven itinerate cultures. Using monotype and digital collage illustrations, oddly riveting with their daubs and smudges of color, Mr. Lam conjures the disparate ways of people who have not historically stayed put.
Among other roving groups featured in the book, readers will find the Yanomami of South America, the Nenets of Siberia and the waterborne Sama-Bajau of the Philippine islands. In every case, there's some degree of friction with the forces of modernity, a state of affairs that cannot but give this handsome book an undertow of melancholy." – The Wall Street Journal
"It does seem more than a bit strange to me how few books children have on certain topics. We've seen nomadic life exemplified in picture books from time to time, but a nonfiction text that looks at how nomadic life came to be and the seven nomadic tribes that exist to this day is without compare. As the copy for this book puts it, "This book is a wonderful introduction to sustainable living as a contract to capitalistic societies." Impressive Glossary too." – School Library Journal
"The result is a delightful exploration that comes with intriguing illustrations. The focus lends to classroom discussion and insights into how the nomadic way of life both differs and holds connections to environment and human endeavors." – Donovan's Literary Services
"This book is a great introduction to a group that many children haven't heard of, and can spur further research and thinking about what we can learn from nomadic lifestyles". – Youth Services Book Review
