From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3—In this wordless picture book, an unhappy child sits at a table holding a fork over a plate of food. She obviously isn't excited about her supper and is sent to her room. After she goes to sleep, her stuffed bear awakens her and takes her on a walk. They meet up with some wild animals and play until finally the bear falls asleep and the girl lies down close to him. The next morning, she looks at her stuffed bear still sprawled on his back, and then walks downstairs and hugs her mom. Yum's evocative linocut illustrations offer ample context for a child to imagine what the little girl is feeling, and how her mood changes over the course of the night. White, pink, and yellow tones blend and contrast in her face to sometimes resemble a mask. Not all children will fully appreciate the indistinct look of the pictures; however, their sweet poignancy is palpable. Many adults will view this book as a useful tool to encourage children to explore and cope effectively with feelings of anger as they compose their own explanations for the series of events so vividly represented in this eloquent book.—
Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
*Starred Review* Small in design and wordless in execution, this story of a young Asian girl, unhappy with her dinner, will strike a chord with many children. Impressively combining her painting and printmaking skills, Yum first offers an image of the girl obviously miserable about what’s on her plate. Mother’s angry shadow is enough to make readers understand why the girl must go to her room, where a stuffed bear offers comfort. But as the girl sleeps, something magical happens: the bear becomes real and offers his paw for a journey into the night. A mysterious and intriguing two-page spread shows the girl’s house, ordinary and everyday, sitting next to a deep forest in blues and blacks lit by a golden moon. The compact book becomes momentarily vertical as the animals of the woods are introduced and playtime ensues, but those looking very, very carefully will see the girl subtly change mood. Perhaps being in a forest with boisterous foxes and lions is not so much fun after all, and when the bear falls asleep, the girl stares pensively at the ground. Then it is morning, and the bear is once again inanimate—and Mother welcomes the girl home. With so much depth and emotion, the art makes words superfluous. Their absence gives kids room to think. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ilene Cooper
