Chinese / Hong Kong (People's Republic of China)
Yi min qu na li?
(Where are the migrants going?)
Lam, Kinchoi
(Lin, Jiancai)
(text/illus.)
Shatin (Hong Kong): Mu mian shu chu ban she (Cotton Tree Publ.), 2021. – [32] p.
ISBN 978-988-79458-5-7
Earth | Danger | Migration | Mars | Home | Memories | Picture book
Reading age: 6+
White Ravens issue: 2022
Laika, the first dog to orbit Earth, was sent to her certain death by humans. From a dog’s point of view, that means Earth is too dangerous, and so Kaka and turtle An decide to leave on their own terms. Aboard their spaceship, surrounded by Hong Kong movie posters and street signs, they revel in memories. Even the star constellations outside remind them of their old home. When the spacecraft is hit by meteorites, they must abandon most of their treasured memorabilia, but with less ballast they land safely on Mars, their new home. Here the wind is better for kite flying and their children can jump higher. Still, they sometimes gaze fondly upon the distant blue planet Earth. When Lam Kinchoi, winner of several awards for his picture books and prints, returned to Hong Kong in 2020 from the Cambridge School of Art’s Master’s Program, he reworked the first draft of his adventure story »Journey to Mars« into a story of contemporary Hong Kong, the title of which could also be translated as: »Where should we emigrate to?« [LO]