My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits and illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska

My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits and illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska is a book that had things I really liked as well as things I was not a fan of.

The main aspect of this book, the story, was something I really liked. It was unique and I could see children identifying with Yoon, the little girl who had just moved from Korea, and her experiences. She struggled adjusting to life in the United States when it came to school and making friends. She loved writing her name in Korean, but she did not like it at all in English. The story line follows her journey to accepting her name and her school experiences which led to making friends. In the end, she learns to like living in the United States, accepts how her name appears in print, and makes friends. I think children who may feel similarly to how Yoon did at her arrival to the United States would like to read this book.

My main issue with this book, and I found it very distracting, were the illustrations. They either really impressed me or reminded me of a scary movie. The pictures often looked haunted and disproportionate. I was caught off guard when I saw the first illustration that made me think of the movie "The Omen". I know this is a little harsh. However, the illustrations that were not close up of faces I really liked.

Although I really liked the story line, the illustrations were distracting. I think I would recommend this story for others to read. It had a lot to offer to readers who could identify with Yoon.