Synopses & Reviews
A Mexican boy tells of his journey to the U.S. with his family. They must face many dangers to cross the border, only to experience the uncertainty felt by all illegal immigrants. The narrative is accompanied by one long, beautifully vivid illustration reminisandshy;cent of pre-Hispanic codices, packaged as an accordion-style foldout frieze.
Praise for Migrant
STARRED REVIEWS
andquot;Content and design coalesce in a handsome presentation that invites readers to decode intriguing images in a pastoral setting suggestive of folkloreandmdash;and in the process, arouses empathy for the all-too-real risks surrounding migrants... Breathtaking.andquot;
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
andquot;A familyandrsquo;s desperate journey from Mexico to Los Angeles unfolds through a boyandrsquo;s first-person narration in this striking bilingual, codex-style book, with accordion-style pages to be read vertically.andquot;
--Publishers Weekly, starred review
andquot;A striking, thoughtful, and empathetic look at a difficult and very relevant political issue, Migrant will make an excellent starting point for possible classroom discussions.andquot;
--Booklist
andquot;The story of undocumented migration is told in an easygoing but insistent voice, reflecting a childandrsquo;s-eye view of leaving home for a bewildering new one... The intricate image unfolds slowly, pulling the reader along from rural fields to the streets of L.A., and makes a breathtaking feast for eyes to carefully examine in full when opened completely.andquot;
--The Bulletin of The Center for Childrenandrsquo;s Books
andquot;A striking and unique piece of art that tells an important story.andquot;
--School Library Journal
and#160;
Review
"With subtle grace, this moving story depicts a Korean girl's difficult adjustment to her new life in America...Swiatkowska's stunningly spare, almost surrealistic paintings enhance the story's message." -- Starred,
School Library Journal
"As noteworthy for what it leaves out as for what it includes....Yoon may be new to America, but her feelings as an outsider will be recognizable to all children." -- Starred, Publishers Weekly
Review
andquot;As timely a work as it is distinctive.andquot;
Synopsis
Yoon has just moved to America from Korea. She is lonely and doesn't want to learn English at first, but she soon begins to like her new home.
Synopsis
Getting to feel at home in a new countryYoons name means Shining Wisdom, and when she writes it in Korean, it looks happy, like dancing figures. But her father tells her that she must learn to write it in English. In English, all the lines and circles stand alone, which is just how Yoon feels in the United States. Yoon isnt sure that she wants to be YOON. At her new school, she tries out different names - maybe CAT or BIRD. Maybe CUPCAKE!
Helen Recorvitss spare and inspiring story about a little girl finding her place in a new country is given luminous pictures filled with surprising vistas and dreamscapes by Gabi Swiatkowska. My Name Is Yoon is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
About the Author
Helen Recorvits is the author of two books for older readers,
Where Heroes Hide and
Goodbye, Walter Malinski, an NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies. She lives in Glocester, Rhode Island.
Gabi Swiatkowska has illustrated one other picture book, Hannah’s Bookmobile Christmas by Sally Derby. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.