Customer Reviews

New Clothes for New Year's Day

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I remember at one of those wannabe-author conferences recently, moderators read from a picture book manuscript about a Japanese girl putting on her kimono. None of the panelists--drawn from the publishing industry, wouldn't you know it--went for it. I liked it. Why did it have to have conflict, drama, a character arc? It was a book about playing dress up, who needs more than that?

So I was thrilled to read this Korean version of the same idea: a young girl putting on her new clothes so she can join her family in marking the start of the lunar calendar. That's all she does is get dressed, but I can vouch as the Mommy of an 18-month-old clothes horse that little girls eat this stuff up.

She starts out in her white under-robe, over which she layers the fancy, homemade clothes that will help her start the year fresh. She dons a silk skirt in blazing red, embroidered with the Chinese character for "luck," a rainbow-striped jacket that fastens at her chest, colorful hair ribbons, a good-luck sachet to pin to her jacket, and much else. Even the details on her socks and the embroidery on her shoes are noted with loving detail.

Along the way, we learn much about Korean customs.

The illustrations look like pen and ink, with vivid crimsons and jade greens against a pale yellow background embellished with mazes or stylized flowers. Each page has that signature Eastern blend of simplicity of composition and the harmony of all its elements.

Try to pry this from your daughter's hands, I dare you.

Written and illustrated by Hyun-Joo Bae, New Clothes for New Year's Day is a picturebook cherishing traditional Korean culture. Told through the eyes of a young Korean girl who looks forward to her wearing her special New Year's Day clothes, New Clothes for New Year's Day follows her as she puts on the colorful articles to give luck and celebrate the coming of the new year. A lovely and enjoyable picturebook, and also useful for demonstrating to a child how to put on a Korean-style New Year's Day outfit. "A New Year, a new day, a new morning. / New clothes. / We start the year with new things. / New things, for the year-older me. // Time to go... oh! // New snow for New Year's Day!"

"New Clothes for New Year's Day," by Hyun-Joo Bae, is told from the perspective of a small Korean girl. It begins,

"Today is New Year's Day.

It's a new year,
it's a new day, and
it's a new morning.
It's the first day for the beginning of everything.

The new sun hasn't shown up, and there are new clouds in the sky. (I hope we have new snow too.)

But the very best new things of all the new things are..."

Then our narrator begins to dress in her beautiful new clothes for the occasion*: "A crimson silk skirt. A rainbow-striped jacket. Delicate socks embroidered with flowers. A hair ribbon of read and gold." And, there's more: "flowered shoes, a gift from Father," a "warm, furry vest with the gold decorations," and a "special winter hat."

The young girl dresses with care, tying each bow with perfectly, straightening her socks, and checking her progress in the mirror. It's a simple, yet beautiful and optimistic tale, completed by Hyun-Joo Bae's stunning illustrations. And the illustrations are truly something special--colorful, simply composed, and embellished with flowers, gorgeous rooms, and, finally, snow.

Hyun-Joo Bae has included two pages of informational text at the end of "New Clothes for New Year's Day" explaining each item of clothing, its significance, and the role of New Year's Day in Korean culture. "New Clothes for New Year's Day" is highly recommended for children ages four to nine and is an excellent choice for a read aloud on New Year's celebrations. It will also be enjoyed by that dress-up obsessed child in your life.
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* Don't worry. Our hero begins her day dressed in a white robe designed to be worn underneath her costume.

This story centers around a little girl who is eagerly awaiting putting on her new Hanbok for New Year's. It goes through all the pieces of clothing, and the significance of each, etc., as she gets ready. I know this will be a big hit with my daughter :)

I am half Korean and my husband and I bought this for our daughter who is now 4. She has her own hanbok and loves to read about how the little girl puts hers on. It's just another way for me to share part of my culture with her on her level. Her little sister is only 7 months old and I know she will enjoy it too, later. It would be so easy to print a book about the han bok or any part of Korean culture and just print photos or maybe draw a simple cartoon with it. Instead, this author takes the time to truly share the excitement of a little girl and at the same time share the culture. The illustrations are perfection and the information is absolutely correct. That is a rare combination. This is a great book for anyone's library but especially nice for the Korean American family or a family with a Korean adoptee.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. I love reading this book to my 2.5 year old twins because I enjoy looking at the pictures myself. The story keeps their attention and it is a wonderful book for us to have to read for Lunar New Year, when they will wear their own hanbok.

This book is a delightful, happy book with gorgeously drawn pictures in rich colors. I bought this book for my 2 toddler daughters. As a second generation Korean, I want to have my daughters comfortable and proud of their Korean heritage and this book seems to reinforce that quite nicely. Younger kids will enjoy the simple but warm and funny story with colorful pictures and, I imagine, older kids will be amazed at the fine detail of well drawn pictures and will learn about traditions of a different culture.

I bought this book as a first birthday present for a little girl whose mother is Korean, and couldn't resist buying one for my daughter as well. My 7-year-old really enjoyed looking at the beautiful illustrations and asked her Korean grandmother to buy her the special shoes that go along with the traditional dress which she already owns. I wish I had had books like this growing up!

The story is beautifully written and the illustrations are so vivid. Highly recommend this book for every little Korean girl.