Hyewon Yum's Blog, page 6

I Am A Bird: Horn Book review

  

I Am a Bird

by Hope Lim; illus. by Hyewon Yum  Preschool Candlewick 32 pp. g  2/21 978-1-5362-0891-7 $16.99

 

A little girl and her father take regular bike rides through their coastal town. The girl, seated snugly in the booster seat behind her father, pretends to be a bird, repeatedly crying “CA-CAW!” In return, she receives friendly responses from the people they pass, but one elderly woman, walking with determination, doesn’t acknowledge the girl: “She does not wave. She does not smile.” Her lack of response concerns and frightens the child, and her joyful bird cries fade. But one day she sees the woman in the park, talking quietly to the birds that surround her. Finally, the girl and woman greet one another with bird calls. “I am a bird again. CA-CAW!” declares the child. Yum (Saturday Is Swimming Day, rev. 7/18) brings viewers a bright, light-infused outdoor world in a palette of sunny yellows, warm greens, and the velvety blue of the ocean. Lim’s plainspoken prose captures the perspective of a young child, especially in the dialogue (“Daddy, I don’t like her”) and, specifically, the fear the girl experiences and the way in which she recedes because of it. The connection she makes with the woman at story’s close is a moment of exuberance. It’s a tale that celebrates imagination; birds (the monochromatic drawings of graceful birds in flight on the endpapers are a highlight); and the value of getting past fears to discover that we all have more in common than we might think. JULIE DANIELSON

 

 

Drawing Dad Lion

check out how I draw my lion!
https://youtu.be/LQVsZj1BEVQ

Clever Little Witch coloring page

Starred Review from BOOKLIST

★ Lion Needs a Haircut. ★By Hyewon Yum. Illus. by the authorMay 2020. 40p. Abrams, $16.99 (9781419742248). PreS–Gr. 2
In a hilarious psychological tug-of-war, a lion tells his son he has to get a haircut, while the shaggy cub resists—and not because he’s scared. The father goes about addressing the many potential fears associated with haircuts—of scissors, of razors, of looking like an antelope—but after the cub cries, “No! Roar!” the dad answers, “YES! ROAR!” and they’re off into town. When the chastened child admits he just wanted a wild mane like his father’s, Dad gives him a kiss, prompting complaints about the big lion’s “prickly” hair. “You need a haircut!” “Me? No.” But the tables have turned, and after a few well-placed criticisms expose the father’s terror and bring him to his knees, the pair finally agree to get haircuts together. This latest from picture-book veteran Yum brims with heart and charm, turning a classic childhood conflict on its head with subtle style and wit. The colored-pencil illustrations are light and breezy, rendering both lions in loose casual wear and flip-flops as they strive in their battle of wills. The text is comprised entirely of dialogue, with the art bringing out the humorous subtext through the lions’ fittingly unrestrained emotions—accentuated in Dad by a wonderfully expressive unibrow—as well as an abundance of clever background details. Great for Father’s Day or just for kicks.

LION NEEDS A HAIRCUT REVIEW FROM SLJ

YUM, Hyewon. Lion Needs a Haircut. illus. by Hyewon Yum. 40p. Abrams. May 2020. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781419742248.PreS-Gr 1–Little Lion is looking rather unkempt. The cub’s overgrown, rust-colored mane hangs in his face, gets in his food, and hampers his reading, but he has plenty of excuses for why a haircut is unnecessary. Though Dad assumes he understands why his son doesn’t want to go to Goatee’s Barber Shop, he is surprised upon learning the real reason: His son wants to look look him. When Dad finds his son has turned the tables on him, there is only one simple solution to end the impasse, which ends up satisfying them both. The childlike hand-lettered text is printed in gray with the son’s words in a paler shade than his father’s. The colored pencil illustrations in pastel hues complement this universal tale of a common childhood situation. The lions’ town is made up of a variety of animal species, such as goats, dogs, buffalo, pigs, and bears. VERDICT An enjoyable tale about a common childhood issue. A recommended purchase.

BARK IN THE PARK-WSJ

Avery Corman celebrates canine types and personalities in “Bark in the Park!” (Orchard Books, 38 pages, $17.99), an illustrated collection of pithy poems for children ages 3 to 5. Each breed gets its own few lines of playful verse amid pictures by Hyewon Yum that radiate a warm, friendly feel. Among the streets, shops and open spaces of a town we see a wild multiplicity of dogs and people frisking and strolling. A bearded man holds a snub-faced pug, and we read: “Is the pug cute / Or is the pug ugh? / Mostly, people love / The little pug’s mug.” Elsewhere, a fit-looking fellow works out alongside his bull terrier: “A scrappy guy with lots of hustle, / He’s one part dog and one part muscle.” Illustrated endpapers show the 38 breeds featured here.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/childrens-books-a-new-breed-of-tales-about-a-childs-best-friend-11573229072?shareToken=st1fffdb9ea66c4800bd07fc9ff3aea7a8

CLEVER LITTLE WITCH review from PW

Văn (In a Village by the Sea) sets this magical caper on Mãi Mãi Island, where Little Linh shows readers the items every witch needs (a broomstick, spell book, and winged mouse), then presents her problem: “Do you know what a clever little witch does not need? A baby brother.” Baby Phu, it seems, squalls, chews on spell books, and messes with his sibling’s broomstick. After offering Baby Phu to the island’s otherworldly creatures (they aren’t interested), Linh decides to turn him into a goldfish. He’s eaten the page the spell is printed on, so she improvises, chanting, “From the tip of your nose to the top of your toes, bubble eyes, marble size, let me see those fishy eyes.” The spell doesn’t work, and Yum (Bark in the Park!) draws the resulting mayhem as Baby Phu turns into a succession of animals, none of them goldfish. Yet when all goes awry, it’s Baby Phu who comes to the rescue. Linh has spirit and energy, even when things aren’t going her way, but the story’s real draw lies in its Southeast Asian setting—clever little witches can be found everywhere. 

CLEVER LITTLE WITCH review from Kirkus

With the help of a little magic, a young witch tries to make her annoying baby brother more tolerable.Little Linh has all she needs to be "the cleverest little witch on Mãi Mãi Island": a broomstick, a "book of powerful spells," and a "rare and magical pet" (a glowing, winged mouse). What she does not need is a baby brother. Baby brothers sneak disastrous rides on your trusty broomstick, eat your spell book, use your pets against you, and disturb your sleep. No one else seems to need or want Baby Phu either—not the troll under the bridge, not the fairy queen in the forest, and certainly not the werewolves at the Orphanage for Lost and Magical Creatures. Naturally, magic will solve the little witch's brother problem. With her spell book partially eaten, Little Linh gamely casts spell after half-concocted spell with the intent to transform Baby Phu into a nice goldfish. The results, though, are not quite what she had hoped. Her guesswork to repair the spell goes "terribly, terribly wrong"—but it turns out that having a little brother might just prove to be a lucky thing. Yum's illustrations (acrylic gouache and color pencil) alternate perspectives and angles, energetically capturing the escalating sibling situation. Readers will recognize the looks of mischief, innocence, and determination on Little Linh's and Baby Phu's faces. Creatures—familiar and fantastical alike—give clues to the impending magical misfires taking place on this Southeast Asian island. A charming take on sibling conflict. (Picture book. 4-6) 

PW review

Bark in the Park! Poems for Dog Lovers
MORE BY AND ABOUT THIS AUTHORCorman, the author of adult novels including Kramer vs. Kramer, makes his picture-book debut with this urban dog field guide comprising short poems—some only two lines—that salute the 38 breeds a child and parent encounter on a walk through the city (mixed pups get a shout-out on the final page). The canines are as varied and cosmopolitan as their human counterparts—a street-savvy, mostly gregarious community in its own right. Corman’s rhymes could at times use more wit and metrical crackle, but they convey details about the breeds with affectionate good humor. Of one hound, he writes, “Whatever you lose, you’d better believe it,/ The Labrador Retriever is sure to retrieve it.” A few spreads help readers distinguish among similar breeds—the greyhound and the saluki, for example, appear in abutting pages. Lively art by Yum (Someday, Narwhal) is the real star, exuding spontaneity and distilled, telling detail. She portrays a leaping Jack Russell terrier and an elegant Weimaraner with the same aplomb, capturing their essential, common dogginess: self-possessed but companionable, and happy to be alive. Ages 3–5. (Mar.)

May/ June SLC Review

Bark in the Park!: Poems for Dog LoversCorman, AveryIllustrated by Hyewon Yum. 2019. 48pp. $17.99 hc. Orchard Books (Scholastic, Inc). 9781338118391. Grades K-3 Follow a young girl and her father as they go for a stroll through their neighborhood in the big city to the park. The story is a marriage of illustrations and text beginning with the cover, which depicts the girl on a park bench surrounded by playful dogs, to the end pages that introduce a variety of dogs through labeled pictures which identify each breed. What follows is a story within a story, with the accompanying illustrations showcasing their adventure. Meanwhile, the reader is treated to short poems conveying characteristics of the different dogs they see as they stroll through what appears to be Central Park. Along the way, the little girl notices everything from a notice regarding a lost toy bunny to the actual toy bunny perched beneath a tree. Young readers will laugh at the tongue in cheek humor, such as the father purchasing a hot dog as his daughter pets a Dachshund, or a bearded man walking his whiskered Schnauzer and Scottish Terrier. Corman's poems, which are sassy, well-written, and rhythmically enchanting, are on target for each breed of dog and just the right length to entertain and amuse the reader. Yum's lively mixed-media illustrations elevate this book’s storyline to a whole new level. While there are many poetry books about dogs available, this one stands out as a picture book that will be read cover to cover as children find themselves engaged by what is going on throughout the pages. This is the perfect read-aloud that will have children checking out dog books from the library just to satiate the curiosity each poem evokes. Helen Burkart Presser, Educational Author, Lower School Librarian, Canterbury School, Fort Wayne, IndianaHighly Recommended