New Releases by Helen Recorvits

Getting to feel at home in a new country Yoon''s name means "shining wisdom," and when she writes it in Korean, it looks happy, like dancing figures. But her father tells her that she must learn to write it in English. In English, all the lines and circles stand alone, which is just how Yoon feels in the United States. Yoon isn''t sure that she wants to be YOON. At her new school, she tries out different names—maybe CAT or BIRD. Maybe CUPCAKE! Helen Recorvits''s spare and inspiring story about a little girl finding her place in a new country is given luminous pictures filled with surprising vistas and dreamscapes by Gabi Swiatkowska. My Name Is Yoon is a Bank Street Best Children''s Book of the Year.

Yoon''s name means "shining wisdom," and when she writes it in Korean, it looks happy. But her father says she must learn to write it in English. In English, all the lines and circles stand alone, which is just how Yoon feels in the United States. An inspiring story about a little girl finding her place in a new country. Full color.

Although she really would have liked a jump rope for her birthday, Yoon is happy to receive a Korean picture book and a jade bracelet passed down from her grandmother, and when she wears the bracelet to school it seems as if her wish for a jump rope and a friend is about to come true.

Yoon es nueva en el escuela y de momento tiene pocas amigas. Le encantaría jugar a la comba con las otras niñas y espera que su madre le regale una por su cumpleaños. Pero en vez de una comba, su madre le regala un precioso cuento y una pulsera de jade qu

In My Name Is Yoon, Yoon''s parents encouraged her to write her name in English instead of Korean. Now it''s Yoon''s turn to teach her parents about something she''s learned in America. When Yoon''s teacher lends her a book about Santa Claus, Yoon can''t wait to show it to her parents. To Yoon''s disappointment, though, her mother responds, "We are not a Christmas family." As Christmas Eve approaches, Yoon learns more and more about this exciting holiday. But no matter how hard she tries to convince her parents to sing Christmas songs or put up Christmas stockings, they always say no. A determined Yoon soon realizes that she must use her own "Shining Wisdom" to persuade her parents that they can indeed be a Christmas family. Distinctive and glowing pictures with brushstrokes echoing Renoir accompany this charming story that rings true and reaches deep.

During the summer of 1956 ten-year-old Junior Webster, his friends, and especially his father, a decorated World War II veteran, discover what heroism is all about.

Nous sommes aux Etats-Unis, au tout début des années trente. La famille Malinski, comme des milliers d''autres, est dans la misère. Walter et Wanda se serrent les coudes, malgré leur grande différence d''âge. C''est ensemble qu''ils vont ramasser des morceaux de charbon au bord de la voie ferrée ou mendier des fruits et des légumes avariés à l''épicerie. Walter défend Wanda quand des garçons de son école l''attaquent. Wanda soutient et console Walter chaque fois que leur père s''en prend à lui, c''est-à-dire de plus en plus souvent. De plus en plus violemment, aussi, car Walter ne se laisse pas faire. La mère s''inquiète, elle sent qu''un drame couve. Pas celui qu''elle croit. Ce livre est l''histoire d''un père qui ne sait pas montrer à son fils qu''il l''aime. Et d''une sœur qui se sentira à jamais seule.

"Wanda, an observant and perceptive fifth grader, gives readers a first-hand account of the effects of powerlessness and grinding poverty on everyday life and family."- School Library Journal. "Recorvits makes a poised and confident debut with this bittersweet Depression-era tale of a Polish immigrant family ... Bloom''s softly shaded black-and-white line illustrations, sometimes brooding, sometimes hopeful, punctuate each chapter and contribute to the emotional impact of the tale." - Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Disliking her name as written in English, Korean-born Yoon, or shining wisdom, refers to herself as cat, bird, and cupcake, as a way to feel more comfortable in her new school and new country.