The Lacquered Box

Mai is a New Zealander but her parents were born in Vietnam. This is the story of her very first visit to her parent's homeland. At first, Mai is embarrassed because she can't speak Vietnamese and the customs official at the airport calls her a 'Viet Kiev', which means a Vietnamese person who lives outside of Vietnam. But once she meets her Aunite Chi, Mai begins to feel more at home as her Aunt introduces her to the local people and way of life. On Mai's last night in Vietnam, her Auntie shows her a family treasure: a lacquered box containing family photos. Auntie Chi removes the existing photos and tells Mai to bring the box back to her filled with photos of New Zealand and her family there. This is an enchanting children's story about the special ties that bind families.