Monday, January 31, 2011

Courage

Soyung Pak (author)
Joung Un Kim (illustrator)
Sumi's First Day of School Ever
Viking, 2003

Our brave heroine is Sumi, whose first day of school is preceded by practicing a single conversation with her mother: "What is your name? My name is Sumi." As her mother leaves, Sumi's initial perception of school is that it is a lonely place. That is followed by feeling that school is a scary and mean place. But with an apology, a smile, an encouraging gesture, and a shared activity, Sumi comes to see her school as "not-so-mean" and "not-so-scary," and "not-so-lonely." Soyung Pak's story is elegantly crafted and sensitively written.

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