Helen Recorvits

I really liked the book My Name is Yoon, by Helen Recorvits. One reason why I enjoyed this book was because of the character development of Yoon. Yoon is this energetic little girl who had just moved to the United States from South Korea and does not like her name. Yoon is afraid of not finding her fit in America. Her way of coping with this was to just keep changing her name to different names such as "cat" or "bird." As the story progressed, with the help of her teacher, Yoon slowly show more learned to love her name and the beauty around it. Because of one little girl on the playground who Yoon played with and sang a song in English with, she slowly come to realization that America would be good home for her. Just because of one little girl who gave Yoon a cupcake, it changed Yoon's whole perspective about her new home and the beauty of her name. She went from being an insecure little girl who was embarrassed of her name, to a confident little girl who is proud her name and where it comes from.
Another reason why I enjoyed this story was for its illustrations. Every illustration seemed to appear so realistic and 3D. For example, on the page where Yoon decided to call herself cat, there are cats all over the chalk board. On the board, there is one cat that appears to be sitting directly on top of the chalk board looking down at the teacher. Although this book is not 3D, the cat truly appears to be on top of the chalk board and not just drawn above it. Another page where the illustrations is like this was on the page where Yoon decides that her new name will be cupcake. On this page, there is an illustration of Yoon dressed as a cupcake and it truly looks like she is floating in the air, above her classmates.
Overall, the big idea of this book is for children to learn to be proud of their cultural backgrounds. Yoon at first was not proud of her name and wanted to move back to her original home. By the end, Yoon accepted the nature of her name and its beautiful meaning. A message like this is important in a children's book because there are so many students in classrooms today who may feel the same way that Yoon felt. Yoon is a relatable character to those students that are new to the United States. This book introduces to them this idea of self-confidence and being proud of where they came from. show less

Insightful story about Yoon, a young girl who has recently immigrated to the US from Korea. It is her birthday and she really wants a jump rope so she can fit in with the other girls in school and make friends. Instead she receives a Korean storybook and a jade bracelet. The jade bracelet is very special as it represents truth and friendship as well as good luck and it is tradition for young girls to receive a bracelet.

At school the next day a girl tricks Yoon into giving her the bracelet. show more Once Yoon realizes she's been tricked, she is upset. However, because Yoon knew the history of the bracelet and the meaning of the symbolism, the other girl knew she was caught and had to return the bracelet to Yoon.

Wonderful lessons and conversation starters around the topics of true friendship, appreciating cultural traditions, and wanting to fit into a new culture. Yoon also begins to realize ulterior motivations of others. show less

"An unhappy young immigrant seeks, and at last regains, a sense of self in this atmospheric, expressionistically illustrated episode. Instead of writing her own name on her papers at school, Yoon calls herself “Cat,” then “Bird”—“I wanted to be BIRD. I wanted to fly, fly back to Korea”—and even, after a classmate’s friendly culinary overture, “Cupcake.” Ultimately, she finds her balance again: “I write my name in English now. It still means Shining Wisdom.” show more Swiatkowska internalizes Yoon’s adjustment, both by depicting her escape fantasies literally, and by placing figures against expanses of wall that are either empty of decoration, or contain windows opening onto distant, elaborate landscapes. Reminiscent of Allen Say’s work for its tone, theme, and neatly drafted, often metaphorical art, this strongly communicates Yoon’s feelings in words and pictures both. She is also surrounded by supportive adults, and her cultural heritage, though specified, is given such a low profile that she becomes a sort of everychild, with whom many young readers faced with a similar sense of displacement will identify. (Picture book. 8-10)" www.kirkusreviews.com show less

A glimmer of friendship from another student, a knowing smile from a teacher, a tempting daydream about cupcakes, and the importance of making her parents proud, all shine as moments in the story when Yoon and her family move from Korea to the US. She must learn new letters and learn how to tell the world who she is when she meets her new class. It's no wonder Yoon has some trouble!

One day she is a cat, yearning to curl up in the corner and after a successful shared snack with a show more friend...she is a cupcake! The story gradually builds, showing the reader little by little what Yoon is doing and thinking, eventually rising to Yoon's understanding that she is still herself or "Shining Wisdom."

A wonderful lesson for anyone struggling with defining themselves in a new group or contending with a name people around them find challenging. It's a gentle story and the illustrations are lovely. The brushtrokes bring depth and light shines out from the teacher who seems to understand what Yoon is up to by words other than her name. I will be excited to see what Yoon's other adventures bring in later books. show less