Yoko

Yoko's mother packs all her favorite things in her lunch, but most of her classmates are grossed out by the seaweed-wrapped "secret treasures." The teacher, Mrs. Jenkins, designates an International Food Day, but still, everyone avoids the sushi Yoko brings...except Timothy. Timothy and Yoko make plans to "push their desks together and open a restaurant the very next day."

Sometimes you don't have to win over everyone - just one person will do.
Also a good lesson in "don't yuck my yum."

Summary:
Yoko, a young cat of a Japanese background, brings a sack lunch of food such as sushi to school. She begins to be teased because of the sack lunch that her mom packs for her. The teacher decides to fix the problem by hosting an International Food Day for her class. The students are to bring a dish from their cultural background so the they can share and try new foods. At the end of the day, one of Yoko's classmates decided to try her sushi and he loved it. The day got the students to appreciate other cultures.

Personal Reaction:
I really liked this book because I could definitely relate. My mom is Mexican and my dad is American. Growing up, I was raised on a mixture of Mexican and American dishes. However, I thought that all show more families were like mine and ate tortillas, enchiladas, and tacos most of the time. As I got older I realized that I was very different and I learned to appreciate my culture a lot more. This book is a great way for the children to learn more about themselves and their classmates.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. I may also host an International Food Day for my students to learn about other cultures of their classmates.
2. I will have my students draw a picture of their favorite dish that their parents make. show less

Summary:
Yoko is made fun of because she brings sushi in her lunch box. Her teacher wants to help Yoko, so she comes up with a plan to have International Food Day! Everyone brings foods from a variety of countries to try and Yoko finds a friend who loves sushi to eat lunch with her.

Personal Reaction:
My daughter has had trouble with others making fun of her lunch because of healthy foods I include. I love that this story helps her see that she is not alone in this problem and that others have found solutions. She shares some of her food with friends now.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. As a teacher I would have International Food Day to share foods from other countries.
2. This book provides a great introduction to bullying and making fun of show more one another. In the classroom, the teacher could talk about what the children should have done instead of making fun of Yoko. show less

One of my very favorite books as a child! Myself growing up in a mixed culture household, I could see myself in Yoko in how other kids reacted to my food and the confusing feelings I had towards it. Because of the zoomorphism of the subject and the teacher's non-response to the students' reactions to Yoko's food, I did have to lower my rating now as an adult. But could be a great accompaniment to another book such as Home in a Lunchbox.

Summary: This cute story is about a kitten named Yoko who brings sushi to school for lunch, but her classmates make fun of her food. Feeling sad and excluded, Yoko’s teacher comes up with a plan to celebrate different foods from around the world. Through this experience, Yoko finds understanding and friendship. The story highlights themes of cultural appreciation, kindness, and the importance of embracing differences.
Comments: I thought that this story was very fun to read, and the pictures were absolutely adorable as well. I think that what this kitten goes through at school would be very relatable and understanding for many children. I remember children making fun of me when I was younger, because of the various foods I brought for show more lunch. I think adding this story to a classroom would promote a more understanding and less judgemental environment. show less

Yoko brings sushi for lunch and is made fun of for her cultural meal by her classmates. In order to combat this problem, her teacher decides to host an International Food Day, where everyone tries everything. Her classmates eat the sushi and end up liking it. This was one of my favorite books when I was little and I still think it is so sweet. I love the message it sends about cultural diversity and not judging people. I think this would be good to read to a class on one of the first days of school.

I enjoyed reading this book for a multitude of reasons. I liked the author’s use of characterization. For instance, Mrs. Jenkins (Yoko’s teacher) plays a key role in stopping Yoko from being bullied because of her lunch. She turns a negative situation in her classroom into a learning opportunity to broaden the perspectives of her students. By creating likable characters such as Mrs. Jenkins, the author made the story more memorable. I also like how the author incorporated multiculturalism into this story. All of the characters in the story were different types of animals to represent people of different races and ethnicities. These characters represented a variety of different cultures which children may be able to relate to. The show more message of this story is not to criticize someone because they are different from you. In the story, the other students in Yoko’s class made fun of her because she brought sushi to school for lunch. However, once they tried Yoko’s sushi and liked it they realized how wrong they were for judging Yoko. show less