(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gabi Swiatowska. Yoon couldn't be happier when an older girl asks her to jump rope. But the girl practically demands Yoon's jade bracelet in exchange, and she comes close to losing it for good. Yoon's immigrant experience particularizes her, but her predicament is universal, and the satisfying resolution is well earned. Thickly painted and vividly colored illustrations heighten the narrative's rocky emotional landscape.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska. Although Yoon's immigrant parents frown upon her participating in the Yuletide activities she's learning about in her American school, she succeeds in celebrating both Christmas and the Korean New Year in this wordy story. The beautiful impressionistic paintings are rich in texture, and the use of red unifies the holiday themes.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(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.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 4-6 In this story set ten years after the end of World War II, Junior's father, a decorated veteran, is still emotionally scarred and angry, mistreating his family and Junior's best friend, a polio victim. The reconciliation of father and son is abrupt and the book's climax seems more convenient than credible; nevertheless, the depiction of a New England mill town in the mid-fifties is laudable.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Lloyd Bloom. Fifth-grader Wanda narrates a quiet portrait of Polish immigrants struggling to make ends meet in 1934. Out-of-work Pa takes out his frustrations on Wanda's older brother Walter. When Walter dies in an accident, the shock is great, but the family--even Pa--is brought together with new affection. Beautifully composed illustrations add to the period atmosphere conveyed in the accessible, simply phrased narrative.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 1999