As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
(4)
YA
Changing Face of North America: Immigration since 1965 series.
These comprehensive books convey the different stories of immigration from disparate parts of the world. The historic, political, and economic reasons for immigration are detailed, and color photos give a sense of the various ethnic communities in North America. Quotes from immigrants add interest to the dry text. There are three other spring 2004 books in this series. Reading lists, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Changing Face of North America: Immigration since 1965 titles: Cuban Immigration, Immigration from Central America, Immigration from the Former Yugoslavia, Immigration from the Middle East, and Korean Immigration.
32 pp.
| Viking
| July, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-670-03522-X$$15.99
(2)
PS
Illustrated by
Joung Un Kim
&
Joung Un Kim.
Sumi has only just learned her first English words this morning ("Hello, what is your name?" and "My name is Sumi"). But thanks to a nice teacher, Sumi begins to negotiate her new environment. With a gentle but realistic hand, Pak takes Sumi on her first steps from understandable trepidation toward a sense of ease in this new place. Illustrator Kim depicts Sumi in large, soft-edged swatches of confidently bright colors.
32 pp.
| Farrar/Foster
| April, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-374-35114-7$$16.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Gabi Swiatkowska.
Adjusting to a new country isn't easy for Yoon, who has recently arrived in America from Korea. In protest, she refuses to print her name in English at school, writing a variety of other words instead. Once she makes a friend and realizes that her teacher likes her, she triumphantly prints her name. Muted paintings with an almost surrealistic quality dramatically heighten the poignant story.
185 pp.
| Scholastic/Orchard
| October, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-439-43538-2$$16.95
(3)
YA
First Person Fiction series.
Ostensibly a story of growing up Korean American, this fictionalized memoir is as much a picture of mid-1970s middle-class American life, Star Wars and all. First in Memphis and then in Houston, Jin-Han's immigrant family tries for the American dream by running wig stores in black neighborhoods. Son adroitly blends the theme of assimilation with detail attentive to the particulars of Jin-Han's boyhood.
51 pp.
| Viking
| June, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-670-03559-9$$13.99
(4)
1-3
Illustrated by
Frank Remkiewicz.
While working on a school project, friends Harry and Song Lee disagree about the nature of dragons--Harry insists that they're ferocious and calls Song Lee's drawing of a gentle dragon "stupid." The inner-classroom turmoil that ensues is implausible, but fans of the series may enjoy this small drama. Expressive line drawings pepper the pages.
32 pp.
| National
| October, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-7922-7985-9$$16.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Yangsook Choi.
Eight-year-old Jangmi prepares to leave Korea and move with her parents to Massachusetts. The lengthy text and detailed oil paintings capture Jangmi's heartache at leaving behind her beloved home, her best friends, and everything that is familiar. But on her first day in America, Jangmi makes a new friend, and while, realistically, she still feels sad, the book ends with hope for a happy future.
32 pp.
| Clarion
| April, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-395-93872-4$$16.00
(4)
1-3
Illustrated by
Chris Soentpiet.
When his parents adopt a Korean baby, young David the narrator wants to share their joy but also feels jealous. Throughout the preparations, arrival, and homecoming of Jin Woo, Davey's ambivalence is revealed in realistic watercolors. The happy resolution, cemented with a letter from Jin Woo (ghost-written by Mom) to Davey, is simplistic and sentimental, but it's nevertheless touching.
(3)
K-3
When young Unhei left Korea, her grandmother gave her a small wooden block with her name carved in it. In America, however, no one can pronounce her name, and Unhei decides to choose a new one. Eventually, though, she comes to realize that she likes her Korean name best. The sensitively told story is illustrated with warm paintings that portray Unhei's multicultural urban neighborhood and school.
200 pp.
| Simon/Minstrel
| July, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-671-03925-3$$9.00
(4)
4-6
American Sisters series.
In a novel that conveys the historical situation of Korean immigrants who settled in California around 1905, sisters Su-Na, Jae-Mi, and Hi-Jong struggle with poverty, prejudice, and strange American customs, as well as their Korean duties to their parents. Despite occasional didactic spots, the story engages readers in the Korean experience and the sisters' relationship. Bib.
156 pp.
| Front
| April, 2001
|
TradeISBN 1-886910-58-8$$15.95
(1)
YA
Young Ju tells of her family's immigration from Korea to the United States and their subsequent struggles in a new country. The brief chapters have the intimacy of snapshots, and images of reaching and dreaming poignantly convey Young Ju's desire to survive her father's brutality. Mother and daughter exhibit a quiet strength; similarly, each of these vignettes displays an astonishing and memorable force.
32 pp.
| Dial
| August, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-8037-2444-6$$15.99
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Robert Hunt.
Jennifer is worried about her Korean grandmother's visit to school because Halmoni does not speak English and wears traditional Korean dress. The visit goes perfectly, and Jennifer learns more about her grandmother's life story as well. In this sentimental story, emotions are more important than character development. Hunt uses light and shadow in his soft paintings to help convey these strong emotions.
32 pp.
| Holt
| October, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-8050-5953-9$$16.00
(4)
PS
Each month of Baby Suki's first year is described in a couple of brief sentences by her father. The handsomely designed book contains realistic pencil illustrations of Suki laughing, sleeping, eating, and walking. The main appeal will be to brand-new parents, though toddlers enamored of young babies may enjoy the pictures, and Suki's Korean-American ethnicity adds interest.
32 pp.
| Harcourt
| October, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-15-200784-9$$16.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Bo Jia.
Simple and poetic, this unadorned story of a young girl's trip to Korea to visit her relatives has an appealing circular structure in which gifts and hugs are exchanged at the beginning and end of the visit. The rural household is very traditional, with no hint of contemporary life. Based on Wong's own experience, the themes of family love and nonverbal communication are lovingly portrayed in the text and the quiet watercolors.
32 pp.
| Farrar/Foster
| September, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-374-35503-7$$16.00
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Yangsook Choi.
In a spare narrative enhanced by festive, richly colored illustrations, a Chinese-Korean boy reflects on what Chinese New Year means to him. By sweeping last year's mistakes and bad luck out of the house, he hopes to make room for "a fresh start, my second chance." Concepts of renewal, starting over, and luck will resonate with young readers in this imaginative appreciation of the emotional aspects of the holiday.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2000
32 pp.
| Farrar/Foster
| March, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-374-35512-6$$16.00
(2)
K-3
New Cat helps contain a fire in Mr. Kim's factory one night when she knocks over a bucket of tofu while chasing a mouse. Characterized by rounded shapes and solid black outlines, the illustrations of Mr. Kim's cat (and best friend) include one that slyly mimics Asian cat statues believed to bring their owners luck by inviting in new customers and friends. In both business and friendship, Mr. Kim's luck couldn't possibly be better.
51 pp.
| Viking
| May, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-670-87887-1$$13.99
(3)
1-3
Illustrated by
Frank Remkiewicz.
Third-grader Doug tells another story about his classmates in room 3B. Mary takes her anger out on Song Lee, "the nicest person in our class," by sending her hate notes. Upset at first, Song Lee soon finds an effective way to repair their friendship. This light, entertaining tale about the ups and downs of a day at school rings true. Line drawings accompany the readable text.
176 pp.
| Avon
| September, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-380-97648-X$$15.00
(3)
4-6
Jin-Ha fails her math test, but her Korean immigrant parents believe her when she says an F is a good mark. Guilty and desperate to make up her grade, she gets tutoring from Grant Hartwig, a hockey player with family expectations to live up to as well. Cross-cultural confusions are delicately portrayed, the pressures Jin-Ha faces are realistic, and the tentative junior-high attraction is sweet.
32 pp.
| Viking
| October, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-670-88252-6$$15.99
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Susan Kathleen Hartung.
When Juno receives a letter in Korean from his grandmother, he knows from the enclosed photograph and dried flower that she has a new cat and a bright garden. The two communicate easily without a common language through pictures and enclosed items in their letters. The muted colors of Hartung's illustrations create a cozy atmosphere for Pak's affecting story.
120 pp.
| Avon
| October, 1998
|
TradeISBN 0-380-97706-0$$14.00
(3)
4-6
The summer after sixth grade, Lupe Garc_a invites her best friend Mi-Sun and her brother Ju-Won to spend two months of their vacation in Mexico with Lupe's uncle. Once there, the children enjoy new experiences, but after hearing scary stories about vampire-like chupacabras they begin to suspect the new housekeeper. Despite an abrupt solution to the mystery, this is a lively and engaging story.