Sumi's First Day of School Ever

by Soyung Pak, Joung Un Kim (Illustrator)

The first day of school can be lonely and scary, especially when you don't speak the same language as everyone else. Sumi only knows one phrase in English, "Hello, my name is Sumi." This doesn't seem nearly enough to prepare her for a big school with wide stairs, noisy children, and a mean classmate. From the author of the Ezra Jack Keats Award winner Dear Juno comes this thoughtful picture book about a young Korean girl on her first day of school. Beautiful, expressive illustrations show how a considerate teacher and even a new friend help Sumi discover that school might not be so lonely after all.

Genres: Picture Books, School, Friendship, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Back To School, School Stories

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 28, 2003

Reviews

[Niki Marion]

A picture book by a Korean immigrant about an immigrant!! Thank you, Viking editors in 2003!

Sumi's first day of school in the US is equal parts lonely and scary, because Sumi can only say, "My name is Sumi" in English. But some languages are universal, and, with the help of a supportive teacher, Sumi survives her first day of school ever and makes her first friend.

[Alec Miller]

Sumi is going to school for the first time ever. She can't speak English and all of this is brand new to her. Her mother helps her to say, "My name is Sumi." This book is all about her adventures at school. She feels lonely, scared, and even gets made fun of. It's not always easy, but by the end, Sumi has a friend. She knows she can come back and that things will get better.

Analysis of Literary and Visual Elements: There were several sentences on each page, but they use simple words. This is a great book for those learning to read. The illustrations go right along with the text. They used this kind of coloring that made it look "wishy-washy". I liked it though. The characters aren't very realistic, but you are able to see the different people's ethnicities. I loved the repetition in the stories. We could see that she was lonely, but then she would overcome. We could see that Sumi was scared, but she would overcome.

I loved this book! It was similar to the other book I reviewed, but this one was better. It is a very relateable book, no matter who you are. They definitely talked about multiculturalism and how it can be hard for someone to go to school. Sumi didn't speak English, but she was learning. They could even make this book into a bilingual book.

I gave this book four stars because I love the content and what is going on the story. The illustrations are not my favorite. But, I still think they did a wonderful job with this. I was able to feel like I was in Sumi's life and I so desperately wanted to help her feel included and loved.

[Haley Hogan]

This book is about a little girl named Sumi who is starting school where she knows no one and can't even speak the language of her classmates. She is very intimidated and thinks that school is scary, mean and lonely. Students begin being nice to her and even though she cant totally communicate with them, it makes her start to like school more. She eventually meets a friend named Mary and Sumi realizes that school is not going to be scary, mean or lonely. This book highlights the themes of nerves and perseverance. Sumi is very nervous and timid to start at this new school but perseveres throughout the day and ends up making a friend. I enjoyed this book because I was a new student multiple times and could connect to the feelings that Sumi was having. I also enjoyed how it portrayed the theme of friendship even through barriers. I think that this is a very good book for children that are new to a school or even speak a different language. It can show them that it is hard but they can do it and that others go through the same things as them. It can also serve as a window to students of what others might be feeling and how they can reach out and be a good friend.

[Taylor Meier]

Sumi's First Day of School Ever is a story about a young immigrant girl who is going to school for the very first time in her life. When Sumi first sees the big building and hears how loud and scary the children sound, she concludes that school is going to be a very scary place. Sumi and her mother walk into the school. Sumi quickly feels isolated from everyone else who already seems to have friends or someone to talk to. When Sumi's mother drops her off in the classroom and leaves the building, Sumi quickly realizes that school seems very lonely. Throughout the day, Sumi is feeling left out. When a boy begins to make fun of Sumi, she realizes that school is actually a mean place. Sumi is very upset, but she continues to spend the day in her new school. Sumi makes a friend with another young girl. Toward the end of the day, Sumi and her new friend are shown leaving school, hand-in-hand. Sumi realizes that school is a not so lonely, not so scary, and not so mean place after all.

[Teresa]

Sumi's mother teaches her the key phrases, "Hello, what is your name?" and "Hello, my name is Sumi"; armed with those and a sympathetic and supportive teacher, Sumi makes it through her first day in a new, "not-so-lonely, not-so-scary, not-so-mean class".

I like how the author conveys how much a person can glean from body language and facial expressions, how an experience can vary from moment to moment, and how simple it can be to make someone feel welcome. There is an incident with a boy who makes teasing faces and noises to other kids; after the teacher speaks to him he changes his behavior. It might be interesting for students to imagine what he was thinking, and what she said to him.

[Nadina]

This book was lovely and it made me tear up. If a book makes me react with strong emotions like that it really boosts the ratings for me.
I love the simplicity of the illustrations in this book, but the text and the story were both really strong. I think it a book that can be very relatable to kids who are starting at a new school, especially if they are coming to a new country/language, and I think it makes it a good book for other kids to read to see how kids are impacted by moving.
This is definitely a book I would recommend to kids.

[Blaine Gerdes]

I loved this book, it's about a little girl named Sumi who is starting school where she doesn't know anyone and can't speak the language of her classmates. She is intimidated and thinks that school is scary and lonely. Students begin being nice to her and even though she can't totally talk with them or understand them, it makes her start to like school a little more. She eventually meets a friend named Mary and then she realizes that school won't be scary and lonely anymore.

[Rachael Fricke]

"Sumi's First Day of School" is relatable to I'm sure many young children's first day of school experience. Especially those who do not speak fluent English. It gives a good perspective for other children on how those new students feel. This was a cute book. I think it would make a great book to read if your child or classroom had a new student. It's also nice to see that even though the kids in this story had a language barrier that didn't stop the kids from becoming friends.

[Kaylee Randall]

A great story about a girl named Sumi's first day of school but she does not speak fluent English. She is intimidated by school and thinks it is a scary place. Sumi learns that her teachers and classmates are very kind and learns that school is not a bad place after all! This would be a great book for the first day of school or for students who do not speak fluent English. Very cute illustrations that would capture children's attention. An overall good book!

[Lisa]

A very sweet first-day-of-school book for a sensitive child, especially an immigrant or child of immigrants. I would have very much appreciated this book in my own childhood. It has deep emotional depth but goes at a beautifully age-appropriate pace and is simple without being simplistic. I liked that the story wasn't "everything's going to be fine" but more like "keep an open mind, things may not be as hard as you first think". That's been kind of a life lesson for me even as an adult, TBH!

[Jana]

Being a new kid in school is scary, but what if you also didn't understand the language? This picture book tells what one little girl experiences as she goes to school for the first time knowing very little English. This book offers a great opportunity to discuss ways to make any new student feel welcome.

[Tessa Duncan]

The story focuses on a new student named Sumi who does not know any English. At first, Sumi believes that school is a very lonely and mean place to be. But with the kindness of her teacher and classmates, Sumi learns that school is not such a bad place after all. It would be a great first day of school book or for ESL/new students.

[Mrs. Ruigrok]

It's Sumi's first day of school and she thinks that school seems like a mean and lonely place. Eventually things look better. Cute illustrations and a nice story about making a friend in a new school with a new language

[Jo Oehrlein]

The first day of school from the perspective of a child who doesn't speak the primary language.

It shows how different events/actions affect what she thinks and how others can be welcoming.

[Katie]

[Read on the evening of KZ's first day of school ever. —KMK]

[Maggie Hahn]

Sumi is in a very new place and does not understand anything that is happening around her. Her mother practiced with her how to say her name and help before she sent her into this new, scary place called school. Sumi is not having a very good first day as she feels lonely, scared, and that the others are mean to her. Her teacher is nice, so she decides to give school a chance and as the day goes on Sumi discovers that school is not so lonely or scary or mean as she thought. She makes a friend and even remembers how to tell her that her name is Sumi. This book would be great to use during the first week of school to show that even if school is scary at first, it gets better and will be okay in the end. I liked this book because it was straight to the point. It talked about how Sumi did not understand English and how she was at first struggling, but then made a friend and felt better by the end of her first day. This book is part of cultural text set relating to school and new schools. Sumi is coming to her very first school day ever, and she does not understand English. Towards the beginning of the book Pak writes, "When the teacher pointed to a seat, Sumi sat in it. When the other children in the class stood up, so did Sumi. And when they sat down again, Sumi sat down, too." This quote shows that even though Sumi did not understand what was going on, she was still participating and trying to follow the other children. This could easily be connected to a classroom. Especially, if I was going to be getting a new student who was an ELL, I could read this book to my class to help them understand what it means to be an ELL. Also, I could have my students write about what they would do to help Sumi on her first day of school then have them implement it when my new student arrives.

[529_Quincy Owens]

Sumi’s First Day of School Ever by Soyung Pak and illustrated by Joung un kim is a simple story highlighting a common fear of children around the world; new school. On Sumi’s first day of school mom walks here there helping her practice how to say her name. She has just moved to the neighborhood. She has no friends and she doesn’t even know how to speak the language well. Sumi’s believes school is a lonely, scary, and mean place. As her day progress she comes to realize that school really is not such a bad place.
Sumi’s First Day is culturally generic. Soyung Pak explores a universal fear children share surrounding their first day of school. By allowing the reader to connect to Sumi on this level, she provides opportunity for those who may not have had contact with the Asian culture to empathize with the protagonist.
Illustrations colorful everyone about same tone unless black. Everyone was drawn with squinted eyes at some point in the book, not just Sumi. In fact, I found it interesting that the illustrator would draw Sumi’s classmates with squinted eyes when they were making fun of her. The hypocrisy of the situation was blatant, we all squint our eyes at some point.
As a teacher I would recommend Sumi’s first day to students starting in kindergarten. The book explores many universal themes which can be easily related to a multitude of audiences and used to demonstrate how we are all the same in many ways. I would also recommend this book to younger students who may be engaging in bullying.

[Jaimie Hong]

This book portrays Sumi's first day of school in America and how she feels lonely and scared: all the emotions any child's first day would feel like. But for Sumi, it's even harder to face her first day at school because she does not know English. She is an immigrant. On the morning of her first day, Sumi and her mom go over the phrase "Hello, my name is Sumi" repeatedly so she would know what to say when other students ask what her name is. Throughout the school day, she realizes that maybe school isn't as scary and lonely after all.

This book is definitely age appropriate for children in primary school. It is relatable as well to immigrant students who go to school for the first time as well as younger children who are going into school for the first time. The illustrations are accurate when it comes to matching with the plot and characters. It would also hold a child's interest while being read. While reading this book, children will also be exposed to multiple perspectives. The author and illustrator are also part of the group represented. Therefore, the book is pretty well represented.

Genre: realistic fiction

[Sara]

Sumis First Day of School Ever is about a little Korean girls very first day of school. When she first arrives, she doesn't understand what people are saying, and starts to convince herself that school is a scar, mean, lonely place. But with some help from some fellow classmates, maybe her mind can be changed.

I loved this book! This could be a very good book to read on the first day of school to younger kids to show them that everyone is nervous on the first day of school. It could also foster some great discussion about how much more scary school could be in a new country where they don't speak the language and that in your classroom kids should always feel comfortable to ask for help if they don't understand. Good story, beautiful pictures! love it!

[Meg]

My daughter LOVES this story, which tells of a little Korean-American girl starting her first day at school where she doesn't know anyone and doesn't speak much English. Touches on both universal themes (starting out in a new situation) and also lightly on issues of racism (a mean child squints his eyes to make fun of Sumi). The illustrations are beautiful, although I think it would not be clear to a child that Sumi and her mother are Asian. That's not necessarily a bad thing in general - I like that they do not have a stereotyped "Asian" look - but it feels like it doesn't fully illustrate the message of dealing with racism.

[Lde212_06]

I think this is a good book for teacher to read to students at the beginning of the year. It brings to light the challenges and overwhelming feelings students (especially those from a different country) may face when they start at a new school in a new country. Those in the classroom need to be understanding and show compassion for their peers who may be faced with this challenge. I think the book allows the students to "put the shoe on the other foot" and be able to see into the obstacles that Sumi faced in the story.

[Eric Summers]

This book follows Sumi on her first day in a new school in America. Sumi does not speak English other than the phrases "Hello, what is your name?" and "My name is Sumi".

The book describes how it would feel to be a new kid in a school where no one else understands your language or culture. The pictures have a dream-like quality to them that I quite enjoyed. Overall a good book that would help when a new ESL student comes into your class.

[Ellen Brandt]

Sumi is nervous about her first day of school; she doesn't speak the same language as everyone else, and she doesn't know the customs and cultures. The day gets off to a bad start when some children tease her, but thanks to other students who are thoughtful and respectful, her day ends on a positive note.
I used this as part of the October "Respect" theme at my school

[Asha Smith]

This book is good for a classroom that have ESOL students in them. Sumi is an Asian American who does not speak English. She is extremely lost and confused until someone says somthing she understands. What is your name? This book is also good to teach diversity and acceptance of others from countries and cultures different from our own.

[Megan Going]

On the first day of school a young immigrant girl who does not speak English very well so is afraid of school. She finds that school is a scary place because the students make fun of her accent and the way her eyes look. Her teacher then connects with her and Sumi makes a new friend to which helps her finally see that school is not so bad after all.

[Chelsea]

This is a great book that deals with a Korean girlo who is very nervous about starting school in America. This bookwould be good for any children not just those new to the country. We all have those fears the first day of school.

[Christina]

This is a simple story about acceptance that could be enlightening to many children who do not speak another language. I think it has good applications to treating others kindly and thinking of others.

[Felicia]

I love this book for children who are nervous for the first day of school. It is about a young girl who does not know what to expect and thinks that school is lonely, scary, and mean. At the end of the story Sumi enjoys school.

[deborah]

Sumi is worried about school, and the language barrier makes things hard for her - at first. However, a teacher's gentleness and new friends' kindness don't need words, and Sumi ends the day walking home from school with a new friend, happy.

[Christine Turner]

By the time Sumi finishes her first day of school, she decides that school is not as lonely, scary, or mean as she had thought. www.hcpl.net