My Name is Yoon
review by Mona Watkins

written by Helen Recorvits
illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska




My Name is Yoon is a first person narrative about a young Korean girl who is new to the country.  She loves her name written in Korean and is hesitant to adopt the English spelling.  In her new class she writes other newly learned English words when her teacher asks her to practice writing her own name.  Her first new word in school is CAT.  Yoon longs to be a cat and curl up in the corner and hide. 

The illustrations in this book are award winning and add another layer of meaning to this simple and inspiring tale of adapting to a new country from a young girl's perspective.  The illustrator includes daydreams of what Yoon is feeling as she struggles in the first few days at a new school. It is an excellent example of how meaningful illustrations can add depth to a story.

Although people of all ages would enjoy and learn from this book, I recommend it for students PreK to 3rd grade. This text is full of self awareness conversations that students this age can identify with: How does it feel to be the new kid? What does your name mean? How do you feel when you don't understand what someone is saying? How do you feel when someone is kind to you? Have you ever wanted to escape somewhere? My Name is Yoon can inspire students to be the person that offers an invitation to friendship through a simple act of inclusion.


My Name is Yoon book trailer