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G'day! The ABC website has some ripper interviews with Anh Do, including his appearances on various shows. This is a brilliant starting point for understanding his journey from Vietnam to Australia and his rise to success.

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Anh Do paints some of Australia’s most famous faces and captures their personalities on the canvas. The charismatic comedian, writer and Archibald Finalist delves into the inspirational stories that have shaped their lives.

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Here's a comprehensive feature article from The Australian newspaper that delves into Anh's life story, particularly focusing on his family's escape from Vietnam. Perfect for understanding his early life experiences!

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Subscribe to The Australian to get unrestricted digital access, home paper delivery, Apps for iPad and Android, member only +Rewards and much more…

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This autobiography is your primary source, mates! The National Library of Australia's page provides excellent information about the book, including reviews and analysis. Essential reading for any biography project.

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The happiest refugee / Anh Do - Catalogue | National Library of Australia

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Beauty! Reading Australia offers fantastic teaching resources about 'The Happiest Refugee'. You'll find chapter summaries, themes, and literary analysis that'll help you understand Anh's story better.

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Connecting to prior knowledge

As a class read I'm Australian Too by Mem Fox and Ronojoy Ghosh. You may want to share that the US version of this book is called I'm An Immigrant Too. After reading the text, spend time discussing the cultural or migrant histories of the students in the class. To open the discussion, prompts such as these could be used:

Do you know where your parents were born or grew up?

Was there a page in the book that you related to?

Did you move to this country from somewhere else?

Did anyone from your family move here from another country?

During this discussion, if it is appropriate, share your own or a relative's cultural or migrant history.
(ACELT1596) (EN2-11D)

Connect the third last page of I'm Australian Too to the cover of The Little Refugee. Draw the connection between the word 'refugee' on both texts. Prompt students to speculate on the author's choice of that word. Link back to the US version I'm an Immigrant Too and the reasons for this. Discuss with students if they have heard this term before or know what it means. Create a shared definition of the word 'refugee' as a class. Place this word on display in the classroom for future reference.
(ACELT1594) (EN2-10C)

Exploring the text in context of our community, school and 'me'

Share the cover of the text with the students. Point out that it is called The Little Refugee. Identify that this title must be referring to the boy on the cover. Discuss how this boy looks and lead the discussion further into similarities and differences to self.

Ask the students:

Does he seem happy or sad?

Frightened or confident?

Explore the juxtaposition of the picture of the happy and confident boy with the background image of a boat filled with people about to capsize in stormy weather. Discuss how the background image makes students feel.

Ask the students, 'Does this image portray the feeling of happy or sad? Does it give you the impression of feeling frightened or confident?'

Summarise the discussion with the class. Explain that there is a juxtaposition between the foreground and background images. Define this juxtaposition by explaining that the two images do not share the same message. While the background image seems scary, dangerous and worrying, the boy's face in the foreground is happy. The illustrator has used visual juxtaposition on the cover for a reason. Hypothesise with your students why the author and illustrator might have used this technique. Identify how the illustrator uses distance, relative size and direct gaze, which invite involvement.
(ACELA1483) (EN2-10C)

Read the blurb on the front 'The inspiring and multi-award-winning true story of Australia's Happiest Refugee'. Show the book cover image of The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do, which this book was inspired by. This book features Anh Do as an adult. Compare the happy face of Anh Do on The Happiest Refugee with the boy who is on the cover of The Littlest Refugee. Explain that Anh Do and Suzanne Do (his wife) are the authors of this book, which was written about his experience of coming to Australia. Read The Little Refugee to the class. Some students might know of Anh Do's other profiles, such as a painter, comedian and television personality. Invite students to share what they know about Anh Do (see resources).

Rich assessment task

During this task students will create their own visual juxtapositions mirroring the cover of The Little Refugee. Brainstorm different emotions that could be read using facial expressions.

Following this, brainstorm different background images that show a scene which portrays the opposite emotion. For example, the opposite of excited might be bored. An image of someone sitting on a couch looking at the TV portrays the feeling of boredom.

Using the photo collage tool Photovisi ask the students to take self-portraits portraying an emotion and overlay these onto scenes which depict the opposite emotion.

Share these as a class and discuss what stories might lie behind these juxtapositions.

Responding to the text

Read through the text once more. Following this ask your students to create a Y-chart. The sections of the Y-Chart should be labeled 'I Think', 'I Feel' and 'I Wonder'. Explain that you would like the students to write the following in each of the sections:

In 'I Think' explain what you know about the book, what you have learnt from listening to it or any prior knowledge you had on the issues raised in it.

In 'I Feel' write any emotional responses you had before, during or after reading and explain why you felt this way.

In 'I Wonder' write any questions you have about the text. These might be general questions about the story or questions you would like to ask the author.

Once students have completed their Y-Chart conduct a class discussion on students' responses. Before the discussion begins remind students that in a discussion students should look at the person who is talking and there can only be one person talking at a time. Explain that during a discussion students are able to respond to others and ask for those that are quieter to contribute their ideas. Depending on your class a 'talking tool' or asking students to raise their hands before they contribute may assist in facilitating respectful discussion and create a time for everyone to contribute. Encourage students to check their own views against the group's views.
(ACELY1676) (EN2-1A)

Exploring plot, character, setting and theme

Exploring Plot

Explain to your students that you will read through the text once more, this time stopping at ten key points in the plot. Ask your students to write the numbers one to eleven down their page. Explain that each time you pause the students will be asked to summarise the current event using one or two words only.

For example for the first point the words might be happy and play.

Read through The Little Refugee stopping at the following points:

1. When Anh is playing with his cousins in Vietnam.

2. The Vietnam War.

3. After they board the boat in Vietnam.

4. After the storm on the boat.

5. After the pirates attack the boat.

6. When they arrive in Australia.

7. When the mother and father start a sewing business.

8. When the sewing machines are stolen.

9. After Anh meets Angus.

10. When Anh is awarded class captain.

11. At the very end of the book.

Create a timeline on a long sheet of paper or on a whiteboard or use an interactive app such Tiki Toki. Make eleven marks along it to represent the ten events.

Number 2 (the Vietnam War) will require some scaffolding. A number of websites explain the Vietnam War in ways for children to understand, but many do not list the involvement of 60,000 Australians who died in the war. Some of the children might have grandfathers who fought in the Vietnam War, so be sure to refer also to other websites that detail the involvement of Australians. See resources for additional background reading for teachers. Don't rush this background information. It might need to be a separate lesson as it's very complex.

Ask a few students to share their responses for each event. Place these on the timeline. As you place the responses on the line, discuss the sudden changes in mood during the story. Additionally, if students have contrasting views at any point during the plot ask them to elaborate on their views. Discuss the use of images and language features that shape the reader's reaction to events. Finally summarise the plot of The Little Refugee by speculating on what the author's purpose of this text might be (e.g. to inform or explain another lived experience).
(ACELA1478) (EN2-8B)

Exploring Setting

In groups provide students with the pages from the text that are located in each of the three major settings in the book.

Using one colour of sticky notes ask students to annotate any words that are used to describe each setting. Then using a different colour, ask the students to comment on any visual features (such as perspective, colour and angle) that help describe the setting.

During this activity students may note many things. Below is a list of key points to focus on with the students. By covering these points students may comprehend the contrasts between the settings and how these are described in the written words in the text and representations presented in the images.
Vietnam
Students may note that images of Vietnam are mostly dark colours and that the images are viewed from front on. In the description of Vietnam, Anh mentions that they were 'crowded', 'happy' but that people were dying in jungles and villages and they were in 'great danger' and 'needed to escape'.
The Boat
When on the boat images are still very dark and there are several long shots showing the vastness of the ocean. Many of the images seem to be from the perspective of Anh, such as looking up at the pirate. The boat is described in the text as an 'old wooden fishing boat that stank of fish' and that it was crammed with people. The text also describes the boat as being 'crashed down' upon by waves in a big storm.
Australia
The images quickly become filled with colour when the family arrives in Australia, representing joy and hope. There are many more images of the characters close up and their facial expressions are clear, contrasting to previous long shots of silhouettes in the book. These close-ups place the characters as central to the continuing autobiography. Australia is described as 'a great country' by Anh's parents in the text. They find a 'home' to live in. There is description of a shed and a backyard, inferring more room than the crowded house in Vietnam.

Once students have completed this activity ask them to share their findings with the class. Place the sticky notes completed in this task on a line above the timeline. Explain this is the 'setting line' and divide it into the three settings.
(ACELT1594) (EN2-6B) (ACELT1599) (EN2-1A)

Rich assessment task

After completing the previous two tasks (exploring timeline and exploring setting), ask students to create a timeline of their own to retell the text. Remind students to consider the portrayal of the three different settings and the different moods of each of the key events. Explain to students to be mindful that timelines use limited text so they should choose the text they include carefully. To complete this digitally consider using StoryboardThat, a digital tool that allows online timeline creation.
(ACELY1682) (EN2-10C)

Examining text structure and organisation

Compare and contrast the perspective of The Little Refugee to Ziba Came on a Boat by Liz Lofthouse. For background information on Liz Lofthouse see her bio. Create a chart with three columns labeled, similarities, differences and effect.

Similarities

Differences

Effect of the differences

Example: Both books follow the stories of refugees.

Use of first person in The Little Refugee and third person in Ziba Came by Boat.

The use of first person makes you feel involved in the story.

The use of third person makes the audience feel like on-lookers.

Begin by discussing the similarities between the two texts. The texts have similar plot features such as the fear and danger that is being left in a previous home, the dangerous boat ride and the safety and joy of arrival in a new country. Following this, discuss the differences between the two texts. Particularly discuss the use of first person in The Little Refugee as opposed to third person in Ziba Came on a Boat. Finally consider the different perspectives and list the effect each of these have on the story and readers. Ask the students why the authors might have chosen to write from different perspectives for the different stories.

Explain that the format The Little Refugee takes is an autobiography. It is the story of the person's life written (in this case, co-authored) by that person. Revise the timeline from the previous task. On it note the approximate ages that the students believe Anh was at each point in the story. Look for clues in the text to assist with this.

Discuss with the students if they had to choose ten or less key events in their own lives when would they begin their story and at what age they would finish it. Contrast The Little Refugee with some of the events in Boy by Roald Dahl. Explain that this is a much longer and detailed text but is also an autobiographical story of a particular period of the author's life.
(ACELT 159 4) (EN2-10C)

Examining grammar and vocabulary

Explain to your students the different purposes of verbs. They can be used to describe actions, thoughts, speech, feelings, the existence of something and the relationship between two things. You may want to list the different processes and have them on display for future reference. Following this, form three groups (one for each of the contexts) and go through the text and list the different types of verbs in the relevant columns. See below for an incomplete example:

born

squashed

crowded (in the clause 'the house was crowded', the verb is 'was'(relational) and 'crowded' is an adjective

play

were dying

fighting

escape

bought

crept

crammed

crashed

hugged

didn't know

told

terrified

happy (note in the sentence 'I was happy', happy is an adjective, not a verb).

is

turned (discuss as this verb is not used as an action verb in this instance)

Give the students an opportunity to notice the emotions that each of the verbs bring. Also discuss the patterns of types of verbs. As The Little Refugee is an autobiography there are a lot of action verbs with few speech verbs.

Discuss the verb patterns for each context and why the author would use particular verb patterns for each setting of the story.

Then compare the work of the three groups and look for similarities and differences. Explore why some verb types are more common in various parts of the biography. Why did the author make those choices?

Ask students to place a star next to the verbs that are in past tense. Students could then be guided to comment on any similarities in the spelling of many of these words. Explain that because this story is recounting events that have happened the majority of verbs will be in past tense and many will have spelling patterns such as the use of 'ed' in hugged, crashed and crammed.

Then list and discuss past tense written as 'crept' and 'bought', etc. Finish by guiding the discussion to the way verb auxiliaries carry tense (e.g. was swimming, etc). Conclude by pulling the discussion together and showing the many ways to write past tense and where the patterns are.
(ACELA1482) (EN2-9B) (ACELA1484) (EN2-9B)

Rich assessment task

Have students choose one of the events listed:

Vietnam in the 1970s

Vietnam War

Ocean storms

Australia in the 1970s

School in Australia in the 1970s

Invite students to work with a partner to research, plan and write a short report. The purpose is to provide more information to the the other students in the class on a topic related to the text.

Once students have completed this, have them highlight the different types of verbs used in the report. Encourage students to include different types of verbs within their short text and to think about tense.

Students can share these texts in small groups or with the whole class.
(ACELT1601) (EN2-2A)

Innovating on the text

Reflect on the last page of the book and the theme of the autobiography that 'everything will turn out okay in the end'. Discuss with the students other events that may seem bad but turn out to be okay in the end. These might be local events rather than personal such as a flood in a classroom, a storm causing the cancellation of an important local event, etc. Allow students to share stories from their lives and the lives of others if they wish. Write these down to form a 'selection of stories'.

You may like to research Anh's life since he was a little boy as depicted in The Little Refugee. He has been very successful in many different ways and has won awards. Looking at his success as an adult can be connected back to the last pages of the book and the advice his parents gave him. Do a quick think-pair-share as students talk about the advice their parents give them. Conclude the discussion by reading the notes on the imprint page where the reader is told profits from this book go to the Loreto Vietnam-Australia Program. Do another think-pair-share for students to think about why Anh Do and his wife may have made this decision. Finally, what do the students' think Anh's parents would have thought about that decision.

Discuss the pattern in the plot of The Little Refugee, that something bad happens and then it is resolved. Illustrate the patterning in The Little Refugee by drawing a wavy line, draw at least three 'waves' in the line. Write the word complication at the peak of each wave and resolution at the bottom.

Complete an oral construction of a story as a class using a round-robin structure.

Before beginning, talk about active listening and what that entails, and about roles for group members. Demonstrate effects such as tone, volume and pace.

To keep with the format of The Little Refugee give every second student a red counter. Explain that the red counters are the complications. Explain that the students with red counters will have to add a complication or build on an already existing complication. Explain that the students without the counters will need to try to resolve the problems faced in the complication. The teacher should begin the story and then the person to the left will continue it until all students have shared. The teacher will then conclude the story. After this activity has been completed as a class invite students to complete a similar oral storytelling activity in small groups.
(ACELY1792) (EN2-1A)

Once students have shared a few stories in their small groups encourage them to write one of these stories. Challenge the students to create a fictional autobiography and write it from their perspective as the main character.

Rich assessment task

Now the students will develop a written factual biography or autobiography using multimodal texts. To clarify the difference between fact and fiction, explain again that The Little Refugee is a true account of Anh Do's life. It was written by Anh so is an autobiography. If students would prefer not to write about themselves, allow them to do some research to do a biography on someone appropriate. Give the students a storyboard planner. Explain that turning their story into a storyboard means that they need to visualise what images will describe the unfolding story. They must identify major events in the period of time chosen.

Students can use their storyboards to create stop-motion animations keeping a focus on major events. This animation can be analysed by the students before they begin their own. For more information on how to create stop-motion animation characters see this link.
(ACELY1682) (EN2-10C)

About the author and illustrator
More about Anh Do
Bruce Whatley
Reading of The Little Refugee on YouTube
Related texts
I'm Australian Too by Mem Fox and Ronojoy Ghosh

I'm An Immigrant Too by Mem Fox and Ronojoy Ghosh

The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do

Ziba Came on a Boat by Liz Lofthouse (Background information on Liz Lofthouse)

Boy by Roald Dahl
Related video
Ali and the Long Journey to Australia by Monash Education

How to Create a Clay Character- Stop Motion by Howcast
Vietnam War resources Vietnam War
Information for students

The involvement of Australians

This website has some background reading for teachers
Photo Collage Creation Timeline Creation StoryboardThat
How to make stop-motion characters

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As a class read I'm Australian Too by Mem Fox and Ronojoy Ghosh. You may want to share that the US version of this book is called I'm An Immigrant Too. After reading the text, spend time discussing the cultural or migrant histories of the students in the class.

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Check out Anh's filmography and TV appearances on IMDb. It's a great resource for understanding his career in entertainment. Remember to verify dates and information with other sources!

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Known for: Footy Legends, Kick, Wolf Girl

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Don't forget to look into Anh's successful TV show 'Brush with Fame'. The ABC iview website has episodes and behind-the-scenes content that shows his artistic talents and interviewing skills.

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For context about Vietnamese refugees in Australia, this website provides valuable background information. It helps understand the historical context of Anh's family's journey.

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The Vietnam War

Actor, writer and director Tony Le Nguyen grew up in Can Tho, a city in southern Vietnam. His mother ran a small grocery store and his father was as a high school English teacher.

During the Vietnam War, Tony's father worked as an interpreter with the South Vietnamese army. When North Vietnam won the war in 1975, his father was arrested and imprisoned in a "re-education" camp for two years.

I had some idea that my dad was working for the previous government. He was a teacher and interpreter and he said the new government didn't like him that much and they would make life difficult... [but] I didn't have any clue what a re-education camp was.

Surviving without his father

With his father in prison, Tony's mother became the sole provider for her seven children. His mother supported her family by selling medicine on the black market. Tony helped his mother by taking food to his father in the camp.

I had to cross a small bamboo bridge to bring the rice to him. The second year the government wouldn't feed him, we had to feed him. The first year was brainwashing and second year was like punishing.

Getting on a boat

After Tony's father left the camp, he decided that his family must leave Vietnam. On their first attempt, their boat was wrecked on the Vietnamese coast.

The boat was designed to carry rice over the river, it wasn't designed to go into the sea ... The sea was very rough and we got hit back into the shore and the boat got smashed against the trees in the jungle.

They managed to escape on their second attempt, narrowly evading border police.

The police had machine guns at the check point and they were shooting at us ... They didn't chase us, but they tried to shoot us. We could hear the gun but we lay low and had filled the water tank to make the boat sink half way so they couldn't see us.
We didn't have any navigation equipment so we had to raise our SOS flag and we had to see if anyone would help. There was a Thai fishing boat and they came and told us to go ashore.

Reaching refuge

Tony's family spent the night resting on the shore. During the night, a group of masked men robbed them. They stole the few belongings they had managed to bring with them from Vietnam. The next morning, the family walked along the shore until they came across a village. The villagers contacted the police and the family was taken to a refugee camp on the Thai border.

The refugee camp was crowded, surrounded by barbed wires and there were also soldiers with machine guns guarding the camp around the clock. The camp operated more like a small town, with shops, a school and a church. There were constantly people coming and leaving the camp. Some days a boat might arrive with only a few survivors.

Coming to Australia

After six months in the camp, Tony's family went to Bangkok for health checks before coming to Australia in 1979. Tony was 10 years old at the time.

The Nguyen family settled in Broadmeadows, Melbourne. Tony's father already had good English and got a job as an interpreter for Ford Motor Company. The rest of the Nguyen family, whose English was limited to a handful of words such as "hello", "goodbye" and "thank you", had to learn their new language virtually from scratch.

Nonetheless, they were determined to make a successful new start in Australia. Tony's mother found work as a cook at a Chinese restaurant. The Nguyen children started school, learning about the language and culture of their new home.

I think if we said that we had no problem settling into Australia it would be a lie. But I think that in all refugees and migrants, the strength and determination to move on and restart their lives is stronger than the pain and hardships that they have been through.

Becoming an actor

At the age 16, Tony landed a role in the television mini-series The Sword of Honour. Working on the series sparked his interest in the performing arts, and he began to pursue a career as an actor.

I became an actor by chance and luck... I fell into it only because when you are young and you don't know what you want to do, if there is a job going, you take it. It seemed to be easy money: you got paid to pretend to be people.

Over the next decade, Tony worked prolifically in theatre and television, featuring in series such as Fast Forward, GP and Paradise Beach. He also starred as Tiger in Geoffrey Wright's 1992 film Romper Stomper.

After working as an actor for ten years, Tony began writing, directing and producing his own work. In 1995, with the support of Footscray Community Arts Centre, he founded Australian Vietnamese Youth Media (AVYM). It is a non-profit organisation which helps young Australians from Vietnamese backgrounds to meet, share ideas and express themselves through the performing arts. During this time, Tony also completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at Victoria University, majoring in Community Development and Drama.

Helping people

Tony was the first Vietnamese Australian to be appointed as an Official Prison Visitor to Port Phillip and Fulham Correctional Centres in Victoria, to act as an independent voice for the prison system.

I am only interested in doing things that have meaning and purpose, either paid or unpaid ... Being appointed as an Official Prison Visitor was one of those jobs ... Our job was to visit each prison and talk to prisoners, officers and management to find out about some of the issues and concerns in the system. We try to resolve these issues or concerns with management if possible, if not we will take it to the commissioner and then the minister.

Tony is currently working as the Community Development Coordinator for Quang Minh Buddhist Temple. He organises various social, culture and environmental events. He also devotes much of his time to voluntary work.

I try to help as many people as possible ... Throughout my life, I have tried to learn how to be a decent human being and learn when to take and when to give back.

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Tony's story - Refugee Council of Australia

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Actor, writer and director Tony Le Nguyen grew up in Can Tho, a city in southern Vietnam. His mother ran a small grocery store and his father was as a high school English teacher. During the Vietnam War, Tony's father worked as an interpreter with the South Vietnamese army.

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The National Portrait Gallery website features Anh Do both as an artist and subject. Brilliant resource for understanding his contribution to Australian arts and culture!

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Archibald Prize Archibald 2017 work: JC by Anh Do

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The subject of Anh Do’s portrait, winner of the ANZ People’s Choice award, is actor Jack Charles. ‘Jack is a friend who’s lived a big life,’ says Do.