The author lived in a hamlet in the central highlands of Vietnam, surrounded by jungle on one side and a river on the other, where he and the villagers encountered animals daily--some easily tamed, others, like tigers and wild hogs, which were terribly dangerous. "This first-person narrative brims with life".--School Library Journal.

An ALA Notable Children's Book and a Booklist Editors' Choice, about one young man's memories of the land he called home.

The land I love was lost to me forever.

Huynh Quang Nhuong grew up in the highlands of Vietnam, next to the jungle teeming with wildlife. Encounters with tigers, wild hogs, and deadly snakes were as much a part of his life as tending the rice fields while on the back of his pet water buffalo, Tank.

Perfect for classrooms, as well as fans of Linda Sue Park and Thanhha Lai, these fifteen tales will transport readers into a world of lush beauty and terrible danger--and a way of life that is gone forever.