Nu Dang and His Kite

More than anything, Nu Dang loves to fly his kite, but one windy day the string slips and his kite disappears. The story follows Nu Dang as he searches for his kite. In his small boat he paddles down the long brown river asking the sweet-cakes vendor, the cloth merchant, the butcher and others if they've seen his kite, but no one has. At last he sadly makes his way home, where a joyous surprise awaits him.

An August 2017 CBC Hot Off The Press selection Ayer's lovely, lyrical prose spills from her beautifully illustrated pages to the tell the transportive story of a little boy -- "the happiest boy in the world" -- and his beloved kite, a story of loss, hope, and homecoming.--Brain Pickings The textile and graphic art background of the author-illustrator shine through in the black-and-white vintage-style drawings with bright color accents that capture the landscapes, bustling life, and lush flora and fauna of Nu Dang's world. With its simple story and culturally enriching illustrations, this title is a recommended purchase for any library. Lovely for one-on-one reading and small group sharing. --Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, School Library Journal Nu Dang is a little boy in Siam who loves to fly his kite. But on one particularly windy day the string slips and his kite disappears. Charmingly written and elegantly illustrated by Jacqueline Ayer, Nu Dang and His Kite is an engaging and entertainingly original picture book story that follows Nu Dang as he searches for his kite. --The Midwest Book Review​​​​​​​ How Nu Dang's kite comes home makes up the core of this intense story which, illustrated in the beautifully stylized colored pictures of the author, a resident of Thailand, forms a tapestry of the elaborate fabric of Siamese river life.--Kirkus Reviews (1959) On Jacqueline Ayer: I regress with joy to the delicately drawn world of Jacqueline Ayer's Siam --Sylvia Plath on A Wish for Little Sister, for The New Statesman (1961) "Jackie grew up believing that she could accomplish anything. She was graceful, charming, smart, drew beautifully and had an innate sense of style and fashion. ... What is always difficult to understand is the degree to which she changed every culture she was embedded in, from editorial pages to clothing design to fabrics and children's books. Her parents, the neighborhood, her schooling and the remarkable century we shared all contributed to her extraordinary life." --Milton Glaser

The daughter of Edward and Thelma Brandford, Jacqueline Ayer grew up in the Bronx in the "Coops," a co-operative built for garment workers. She went to The High School of Music & Art, followed by Syracuse University. She continued her studies in Paris, which led to work as an assistant fashion illustrator. There, she met Christian Dior and Michel de Brunhoff, leading to work as an illustrator for Vogue and Bonwit Teller in New York. Her marriage to Fred Ayer led to a move to Thailand, where she wrote and illustrated children’s books and started the fashion company Design Thai, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. Later in life, she worked in India for craft and textile development under Indira Gandhi and in New York and London designing home furnishings for companies including Bloomingdale's and Conran.