Hyewon Yum's Blog, page 2

Review from Kirkus

 

NIGHT SONG  
Author: Mk Smith Despres
Illustrator: Hyewon Yum

Review Issue Date: November 15, 2023
Online Publish Date: October 21, 2023
Publisher:Enchanted Lion Books
Pages: 52
Price ( Hardcover ): $18.95
Publication Date: January 9, 2024
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 9781592703944
Section: Children's

Despite great effort, Bernardo the frog just can’t find a place in the morning chorus.

Bernardo knows his song sounds “like wood and nighttime and things inside of other things.” But he loves the way the birds sing to the sun to unfold the flowers and send leaves “to dance across the forest floor.” He finds it so lovely that he tries to join in by donning a silly bird disguise made of leaves and berries. Alas, he looks ridiculous to the creatures around the pond; nor do they appreciate his efforts to climb a tree and then dance awkwardly across flower tops. By the time he gives up, the sun has traveled across the sky, and he feels too discouraged to listen to the crickets, the blackbirds, and the other frogs in their evening chorus—until, that is, he hears a snail marvel at “the song that lulls the woods to sleep.” Using a mix of watercolor, colored pencil, and ink, Yum illustrates Despres’ lilting, sonorous text with idyllic scenes of songbirds and waterfowl, butterflies and dragonflies, amid verdant tufts of greenery and sprays of flowers. As the day passes and the tonal palette dims subtly from bright day to a cool blue star-flecked night, one last view leaves the small frog with eyes closed in blissful appreciation.

Poetic and peaceful: a natural for bedtime reading. (Picture book. 4-6)

review from Shelf Awareness

  

SOMETIMES I KAPLOOM by Rachel Vail, illus. by Hyewon Yum (Orchard Books; August 1, 2023) was reviewed in the August 11, 2023 edition ofShelf Awareness.

 

Please see below and attached for the full review.

 

Sometimes I Kaploom

by Rachel Vail, illus. by Hyewon Yum

[image error]

Prolific author Rachel Vail published Sometimes I'm Bombaloo in 2002, starring charmingly articulate Katie Honors. It became the first book in her Big Feelings series, with the publication of companion picture book Sometimes I Grumblesquinch following in 2022. Vail auspiciously partners again with her Grumblesquinch collaborator, Hyewon Yum, for Sometimes I Kaploom, a delightful reminder that being courageous doesn't mean you're not afraid.

Self-aware Katie knows she's "a really brave kid": she has a superhero stance, can climb high, risks small bites of "good for me food," and goes to bed "without even calling to be checked on" (more than twice). At school, however, she sometimes kaplooms. Saying "bye, I love you. See you soon" to her mother isn't always possible: "The roar inside me is so huge I have to open my mouth and let it out." Katie realizes, as she calms in her mother's lap, that she can be "brave and KAPLOOMING" at the same time. "So brave," her mother agrees, "especially while you KAPLOOM."

Yum's vibrant colored-pencil illustrations notably enhance Vail's encouraging, empowering narrative. Yum ingeniously turns Katie's t-shirt into a visual metaphor for Katie's feelings. The star on her shirt is an emotional barometer: its bright outlines disappear when Katie confronts "tingly smelling" breakfast, the star droops at the prospect of parental separation, becomes electrified as she kaplooms, and gains a rainbow trail as she recovers back to her superhero self. Vail ensures big feelings are thoroughly acknowledged; Yum's art assures Vail's words get empathically recognized. --Terry Hong, BookDragon

Orchard Books, $18.99, hardcover, 40p., 9781338840308

 

Star review from Booklist

 [image error] SOMETIMES I KAPLOOM by Rachel Vail; Illus. by Hyewon Yum 

Aug. 2023. 40p. Scholastic/Orchard, $18.99 (9781338840308). PreS–Gr. 1 

 

Vail and Yum have here created a helpful book for parents and children dealing with separation anxiety. Climbing high on playground equipment, making an effort to eat new foods, and going to bed with only one nightlight and “without even calling to be checked on. Except once . . . maybe twice” are a few of the feats Katie performs as she practices being brave. When her mother prepares to leave her at preschool one morning, the girl’s attempts at bravery fail completely and she goes “KAPLOOM.” A fierce, full-blown tantrum takes over as Katie loses control, screaming, pulling at her hair, and hanging onto her mother. The girl dislikes feeling and behaving in this manner, but her emotions are difficult to control. Colored-pencil illustrations on white backgrounds clearly show Katie’s emotions when she is brave and when she is kaplooming. Her anguish and frustration are clearly conveyed with wide-open mouths, clenched fists, tightly shut eyes, and red faces, along with lightning bolts shooting from her body. The youngster’s anger and sadness slowly dissipate after her mother gently reassures her—“I’ll come back. I always come back.”—and explains it is possible to be “brave and sad” and “brave and scared” at the same time. Notes from the author and illustrator explain their experiences with their own children’s separation anxiety. — Maryann Owen

Kirkus

 

SOMETIMES I KAPLOOM

BY RACHEL VAIL ; ILLUSTRATED BY HYEWON YUMRELEASE DATE: AUG. 1, 2023

Comfort for both children and parents in an all-too-familiar situation.

BOOKSHELFSHOP NOW

It’s hard to stay brave when it’s time to say goodbye.

Katie Honors, whom readers may remember from Sometimes I Grumblesquinch (2022), is back. This time, she explains that she is a “really brave kid.” She stands proudly “like a superhero,” climbs high on the playground, and needs to be checked on at night only once…or twice. She can even hold in her tears when it’s time to say goodbye at what looks like preschool…at first. Yum’s familiar and comforting colored pencil drawings portray the inner emotions that belie Katie’s brave front as she says, “Bye, I love you. See you soon,” her face radiating pure misery and the cheery yellow star on her T-shirt drooping. Sometimes, however, she can’t contain those feelings and she KAPLOOMS. With her eyes squeezed shut, she grabs her mother, lets out a roar, and radiates lightning and sparks. She becomes unable to hear the voices around her. Her mother initially asks her to be brave but then changes tactics, simply holding Katie and acknowledging that bravery and sadness, tears, and fear are not exclusive—that you can be “brave and KAPLOOMING” at the same time. Her loving actions model a healthy response for adults and also validate children’s feelings during this rite of passage. Katie and her mother have straight dark hair, light skin, and dark dots for eyes. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Comfort for both children and parents in an all-too-familiar situation. (author’s and illustrator’s notes) (Picture book. 3-7)

PW review

 

Ode to a Bad DayChelsea Lin Wallace, illus. by Hyewon Yum. Chronicle, $16.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-79721-080-3Rather than glorifying a specific topic, these odes narrated by a schoolchild bewail myriad small annoyances that can accompany a bad day. In early lines by Wallace (A Home Named Walter), even the morning’s first moments presage trouble: “Oh Bad Morning,/ eyes are crusty, bones are rusty./ Why do all my teeth feel dusty?” Watercolor and colored pencil spreads from Yum (Luli and the Language of Tea) show the child, portrayed with light skin and black hair, frowning amid snarled-up bedclothes. The room’s stuffed animals, together with a visiting cricket, give the child a collective side-eye. Brilliant pinks and oranges offer heightened energy to Yum’s consistently engaging spreads, while sensory-focused lines list the indignities of the day: someone cutting in the racially diverse classroom’s line, a missing pudding cup at lunch, a spoiled art project, and more. Each individual annoyance may seem small on its own (“Oh Hiccup,/ you interrupt hiccup/ my play with Nick hiccup”), but the cumulative irritations make the day a total write-off—though not without some reflection (“I’m so annoyed.../ but not destroyed”) and the promise of a better tomorrow. Ages 5–8. Author’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary. (Apr.)

Review from BCCB

 Trade ed. ISBN 9781797210803 $16.99

Reviewed from digital galleys  ​R 4-7 yrs

A morning of soggy cereal and itchy clothes is just the start of our pouty protagonist’s misery, and the day doesn’t get much brighter from there. The youngster laments their troubles as a hurried rush to school results in a skinned knee, a case of the hiccups interrupts playtime, and a missing pudding cup ruins lunch. An afternoon errand trip makes for some especially dramatic woes: “Oh, Boredom,/ I thought you’d left. Bye-bye. Shoo-shoo!/ You’re back again with more nothing to do./ A chore at the store?/ I fall to the floor!/ Snorrrrrrrrrre.” Kiddo makes it through a yucky dinner and the ever-arduous bedtime prep, ending the day with a snuggle with their caretaker and a hope that perhaps tomorrow will be better. The poetic structure and regal cadence lend the child’s voice a sense of polite formality, bringing ironic humor to her bad day histrionics, but the joke does not necessarily come at the youngster’s expense. Rather, repetitive address of the day’s various disappointments (“Oh you Ouchy,” “Oh you Hiccup”) acknowledges the plain old awfulness of the situation. Illustrations have a childlike draftsmanship, with dot-eyed faces and scribbly linework in colored pencil and watercolor, and the misery of our put-upon protagonist, with a constant frown and occasional wide-mouthed moan, is cleverly matched with bits of visual humor, including an expressive little cricket that follows the child through their travails. The book ends with hard-earned wisdom that even adults could use: “All day long/ my way went wrong./ I’m annoyed . . . / but not destroyed.”  KQG

Ode to A Bad Day

 

This is one bad day readers won’t mind reliving again and again.

BOOKSHELF ODE TO A BAD DAY

BY CHELSEA LIN WALLACE ; ILLUSTRATED BYHYEWON YUMRELEASE DATE: APRIL 18, 2023

It’s only fitting that a day this bad gets its own lyrical poem.

“Oh you Bad Morning.” Right from the start, a child who presents as Asian with straight black hair, peachy skin, and dots for eyes can tell it’s going to be a bad day. On most double-page spreads, rhyming lines in irregular meter convey the sensibility and grandeur of the traditional ode, glorifying a different aspect of the bad day. The verso describes the outrage (“Oh Too Much Milk in My Cereal, / soggy, squishy! Boggy, mushy! / You turned my crispy into gushy!”), while the recto declaims the lament (“Oh you Too Much Milk”). It is impressive how many despairing, outraged, and sad expressions Yum is able to give the young protagonist as the day progresses through each indignity, including itchy clothes, being late, dealing with a line cutter, and getting the hiccups. One particularly poignant illustration sees the child prone on the floor of a supermarket with one knee raised: “Oh you Boredom.” Not every rhyme is perfect, but the overall sentiment comes through loud and clear, and Yum’s soft watercolor and colored pencil artwork is a wonderful foil for the negative feelings. This is especially true as the day draws to a close, a new day is within sight, and more hopeful thoughts take over. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This is one bad day readers won’t mind reliving again and again. (Picture book. 4-8)

한겨레 기사:으르렁소아과

 

[책&생각] 이발소 안 가려던 첫째 사자, 어느새 컸어요권귀순 기자구독등록 2022-06-03 05:00  
수정 2022-06-03 09:55 [image error]염혜원 작가 ‘으르렁’ 두번째 얘기
이발소 이어 소아과 찾은 가족

두려움 다독이며 검진에 도전
주사 맞기 무섭다면 이 책 먼저

으르렁 소아과
염혜원 글·그림 l 창비 l 1만 3000원

아기가 태어나 세상으로 걸어 나오는 데는 몇 개의 동굴을 통과해야 할까. 아이들은 별별 괴물이 사는 동굴을 하나씩 통과하면서 한 뼘씩 자란다. ‘치과 동굴’에서는 이빨을 깨 먹는 충치 괴물을 물리치려 고막 찢는 울음으로 필사적 결투를 벌인다. ‘미용실 동굴’ 입구에서는 머리카락을 잘라 먹는 가위 괴물이 너무 무서워 도망치고만 싶다. 때론 뒷걸음치다 망태 할아버지한테 잡혀갈까 봐, 그 자리에 얼어붙어 엉엉 울고 만다.말랑말랑한 내면을 단단하게 성장시키는 ‘두려움’이라는 감정. 아이의 근원적 두려움 앞에서 초보 양육자들도 어쩔 줄 몰라 하기 일쑤다. 사탕발림식 달래기 말고 묘수는 없을까.

염혜원 작가는 아이 마음속 두려움을 가만 들여다보고 다독이는 비법을 아는 듯하다. 이번에 펴낸 그림책 <으르렁 소아과>가 힌트를 준다. <으르렁 이발소>에 이은 ‘으르렁 시리즈’ 2편이다. ‘주사 맞기가 무서운 나의 친구들에게’란 추신이 붙었다.

걱정 많은 아빠 사자, 겁이 많지만 조금은 자라 우쭐해진 첫째, 아무것도 모르는 천진난만한 둘째의 병원 나들이를 앞두고, 집안의 공기는 잎사귀가 뾰족한 테이블야자 화분처럼 쭈뼛해진다. 아빠는 “넌 이제 다 컸어, 그렇지?” 아이 마음의 문을 똑똑 두드린다. 지난번 곰 선생님의 손가락을 물어버린 첫째가 이번에는 병원 검진을 무사히 잘 받을 수 있을지 걱정이 이만저만이 아닌데, “그럴 일 없다”며 첫째는 배짱을 부린다. 소아과 건강 검진이 처음인 동생한테 “걱정 마”라며 안심시킬 줄도 안다. <으르렁 이발소>에서 아빠 말을 듣지 않으려 했던 첫째가 어느새 컸다. 키재기, 시력검사를 어떻게 하는지 동생한테 알려주는 오빠를 믿어도 될까. 병원 검진의 마지막 관문, 예방 주사만 남았는데 …. 첫째는 동생 앞에서 시범을 잘 보일까.

볼로냐 라가치 상, 에즈라 잭 키츠 상 등을 받은 작가가 그려내는 세밀한 표정이 아이의 다층적 내면을 읽게 한다. 아빠는 아빠대로, 오빠는 오빠대로, 동생은 동생대로의 막연한 불안과 갈등 상황을 ‘함께라면 괜찮아’ 느낌의 따뜻함으로 녹여냈다. 함께 보면 크는 책이다. 4살 이상 .

권귀순 기자 gskwon@hani.co.kr, 그림 창비 제공

Booklist LION NEEDS A SHOT

 

Lion Needs a Shot.

By Hyewon Yum. Illus. by the author

May 2022. 40p. Abrams, $16.99 (9781419748295). PreS–Gr. 1 

In this charming follow-up to Lion Needs a Haircut (2020), Daddy Lion hesitantly tells cubs Luka and Lulu that it’s time to visit the doctor for a checkup. Luka, as the older sibling, explains what Lulu can expect during her first visit—having the doctor listen to her heart with stethoscope, getting measured, and (gulp!) getting a shot. Their appointment goes smoothly until Dr. Brown arrives with their shots, triggering Luka’s own fear and thoughts of escape, until he remembers he needs to be brave for Lulu. He takes his shot like a champ, and Lulu models his behavior, both of them earning stickers from Dr. Brown for being such good patients. Yum’s sweet illustrations are softly rendered in colored pencils, and their childlike quality is a perfect match for the story. It strikes a reassuring tone for little ones anxious about doctor visits or getting shots (“They keep you from getting sick! . . . [And] you get a really nice sticker.”), while also demonstrating a loving sibling relationship.

 

SLJ STARRED Review

 «SOMETIMES I GRUMBLESQUINCH by Rachel Vail; illus. by Hyewon Yum

40p. Scholastic. Jul. 2022. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781338751161

 

PreS-Gr 2–Self-described “really nice kid” Katie Honors always aims to please. Polite, well-behaved, and flexible, she earns compliments from her parents: “Katie is such a pleasure.” The reality beneath this veneer of perfection, of course, is a range of emotions, positive and negative. Her toddler brother Chuck has a knack for provoking her in small ways that her mother and father either overlook or minimize with platitudes: “You don’t mind, do you?” and “Chuck loves you!” Since her appearance as the protagonist of Vail’s Sometimes I’m Bombaloo, Katie has learned to suppress her feelings by “grumblesquinching,” her idiosyncratic term for bottling up anger and sadness inside. After her pent-up frustration finally explodes in the form of a tantrum, she fears that she has irreparably damaged her parents’ opinion of her. To her relief, her mother responds not with judgment but with warm understanding—she is accepted, anger and all. Vail creates a strikingly honest portrait of family relationships, sensitively probing the all-too-common adult habit of using praise to avoid uncomfortable but necessary emotional dialogue. Yum’s bright, expressive colored pencil drawings cleverly externalize the progression of Katie’s emotional response: as she loses her composure, strands of her hair begin to float up into sinister tentacles, and the image on her shirt subtly shifts from a rainbow to a storm cloud. VERDICT This tender, insightful exploration of childhood emotion and respectful parenting is an important purchase for all collections.

–Jonah Dragan