Illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska. 32 p., Farrar/Frances Foster, 2003. When children move to a new country, they may feel alone and estranged. Yoon's family moves to the United States from Korea. Her father tells her that she has to learn how to write her name using the Western alphabet. Yoon doesn't like this - she likes it in Korean, the way it's always been. She likes the connection of that written form with her name's meaning, Shining Wisdom. When Yoon starts school, her teacher's first lesson is about a cat. She doesn't want to write "Yoon" on her paper, so she writes "CAT." On another day, she writes "BIRD" instead, and on another day, "CUPCAKE." Each time, the word is what she wants to be, in some way. As this is happening, she is beginning to make friends, her teacher is growing to like her, and she's learning things at school. When her mother expresses pride in this, Yoon can consider the possibility that America could be a good home for her. "Maybe different is good, too." Now she's willing to write "YOON" in English, and feels confident that it still means Shining Wisdom when written that way. Illustrated with expressive, light-filled paintings, this story helps children manage the complex feelings that immigration brings. Ages 4-7
Showing posts with label immigration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label immigration. Show all posts
Good-Bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong by Frances Park and Ginger Park
Illustrated by Yangsook Choi.32 p., National Geographic Society, 2002. It's hard to say goodbye when you move to another country. Jangmi doesn't want to move from Korea to the United States. She'll miss her best friend, Kisuni, and her home. Even the seasons and the food will be different. Her parents describe their new house and other things about America, and reassure her that she'll make new friends, but Jangmi still doesn't want to go. On their last day, friends and relatives come for a goodbye lunch, and Jangmi wants to keep these moments with her forever. She talks with Kisuni about how when one is awake, the other will be sleeping. We see that she's beginning to adjust when Kisuni comments, "'At least we'll always know what the other one is doing.'" As the family rides to the airport, Jangmi cries. She says goodbye to her old house many times. Her parents offer her the possibility of adopting Rose (the translation of Jangmi) as her American name, but Jangmi decides to keep her name exactly as it is. When the family finally arrives at their new home in Massachusetts, everything looks strange to Jangmi, yet it's all as her parents have described. Soon after the movers come, neighbors arrive, bringing food. Among them is Mary, who is Jangmi's age, and becomes her first friend in America. Jangmi is able to see that Mary is like Kisuni in some ways. As the story ends, Jangmi is writing to Kisuni, knowing that she is sleeping at that moment, and knowing the world that she lives in. Based on an event in the life of the authors' older sister, this story is illustrated with glowing, expressive oil paintings. It offers empathy and hope to children facing a move to another country. Ages 4-8
Sofie and the City by Karima Grant
Illustrated by Janet Montecalvo.32 p., Boyds, 2006. When you move to a new country, you miss the beauty and friendliness of home. Such is the case for Sofie, who has moved to a large U.S. city (perhaps New York) with her parents from Senegal. In phone conversations with her grandmother, Mame, Sofie describes her experience of her new home as ugly and isolating. She tells Mame that she wants to return to Senegal. Her wise Mame tells her, "before you come back, you will just have to make it pretty." Beauty and friendship arrive together, in the form of a neighbor girl named Kenya who colors on the sidewalk with chalk. When Sofie joins Kenya in coloring, she draws her first home and her grandmother. This allows her to connect her old and new homes, and with a new friend, her new home doesn't seem so ugly any more. With its colorful illustrations, this story shows children important ways to feel at home in a new country. Ages 3-7