Author: Yangsook Choi
Illustrator: N/A
Publisher and Year: Random House Children’s Books, 2001
Number of pages: 40
Tags: K-1, 2-3, Friendship, Fiction, Diversity
Analysis: Unhei has just moved to the Unites States from Korea with her family. She is nervous and scared to start school. On her first day of school, Unhei is teased by the children on the bus because of the way she pronounces her name. When she enters her classroom, she is hesitant to share with her classmates her name because of her experience on the bus. She decides she wants to adopt an American name instead and tells the class she will pick a name by the following week. Her classmates decide to help her by filling a jar with names for her to pick from. Unhei decides to keep her own name after learning that her mother and grandmother went to a name master and that her name means grace.
This book can serve as a window to better understand some of the experiences of people who come from other countries. This book did a good job of demonstrating some of the feelings and fears one might have. Unhei was scared to be different and just wanted an American name to fit in, but she realized that her Korean name was already beautiful and she did not need an American name. This book can also serve as a mirror for children who have migrated to this country and feel as though their differences makes them less American. This book does a good job of helping Unhei celebrate her culture and be proud of her name and realize her differences make her unique. This book can also be a door to teach children to be more accepting of others differences and celebrating those differences or even learning from them. It is a good way to introduce the idea that people from other cultures can teach others about different perspectives.
The illustrations used in this book use an open frame, so our view is from the outside. At the beginning of the book Unhei, the main character is seen at a window. This foreshadowed the tough decision she was going to face in what she would change her name to. The colors used are earth tones. They portray very calm and neutral images. The images are adding to the words.