Yoon and the Christmas Mitten [Hardcover]

Helen Recorvits (Author), Gabi Swiatkowska (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–The endearing heroine of My Name Is Yoon (Farrar, 2003) is learning about Santa Claus and the North Pole at school. She is captivated, but her parents insist that …we are not a Christmas family. We are a Korean family. However, after Yoon points out that they are both American and Korean, her parents figure out a way to meld a Christmas tradition with their own New Year's celebration. Yoon's round and expressive face is depicted as captivated, joyous, and implacable by turns, and her holiday imaginings are rendered as sprightly, juggling Korean-looking elves and a surreal but childlike North Pole. Her parents are rather suddenly and easily convinced to let the tradition of Santa into their home, but children and parents alike will be charmed by Yoon's yearning and determination to experience a bit of Christmas magic.–Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Recorvits continues the story begun in My Name Is Yoon (2003) in this picture book about a Korean girl's struggles with her classroom's holiday preparations. When Yoon brings home a book about Christmas, her parents tell her, "We are Korean. Santa Claus is not our custom." Still, Yoon decorates a bush outside her home and pins up a mitten, instead of a stocking, hoping Santa will visit:. "America is our home now. Are we not both Korean and American?" On Christmas morning, there's a present and a candy cane waiting for her. It's somewhat confusing that Christmas is portrayed here only as a cultural holiday. There's no mention of Christianity at all. As in the previous title, though, Recorvits tells an affecting story about reconciling cultural identity, beautifully brought to life in Swiatkowska's evocative, feathery portraits and dreamscapes. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); First Edition edition (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374386889
• ISBN-13: 978-0374386887
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #895,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Helen Recorvits was born in Rhode Island and graduated from Rhode Island College with a degree in education and psychology. She went on to earn a Master's degree and also a certification in gifted and talented education. A former educator, Helen now devotes her time to writing and to speaking at conferences and literary events.

Her first novel, GOODBYE WALTER MALINSKI(Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1999) was chosen a National Council for Social Studies Notable Trade Book, and her second novel WHERE HEROES HIDE(2002) also received many fine reviews.

In 2003, her first picture book MY NAME IS YOON was published by FSG. YOON was chosen as an outstanding book of the year by the New York Is Book Country Committee, and was also named an ALA Notable Children's Book and an IRA Notable Books for a Global Society. It was listed as a Best Book of the Year by Child Magazine,Family Magazine, Bank Street Books, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal, and it was also a Booklist Editors' Choice. YOON also received the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award.

YOON AND THE CHRISTMAS MITTEN (2006) was chosen an NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies book.

YOON AND THE JADE BRACELET(2008)
was chosen a Society of School Librarians International Honor Book and a Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year.

Her books have been translated into Danish, French, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.

Helen says,"I remember my mother reading to me when I was two years old. My favorite books were Cinderella and The Pokey Little Puppy. I began writing my own stories and sharing them with my cousins when I was eight years old. When I was a teenager, I wrote a weekly column for a local newspaper."

Today Helen, mother of two grown sons, lives with her husband in the peaceful, woodsy town of Glocester, Rhode Island. Helen says, "I love reading and writing stories about interesting characters -- people trying to find their place in life, people with hope in their hearts."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Models Respect for Parents, and Joyous Cultural Diversity, February 8, 2008

By 

E. Culpepper (Bloomington, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yoon and the Christmas Mitten (Hardcover)

Korean born Yoon shows full respectfulness to her parents as they stand firm for keeping Korean holidays, rather than adopting North American ones. Yet she finds appropriate ways to sustain an on-going conversation to try to persuade them. In the end, the strength and happiness of Yoon's family grows even richer. I love the values this book teaches young children AND their parents. Beautifully crafted narrative, and beautifully illustrated -- satisfying to adults as well as children.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teaching Children about Cultural Differences at Holidays, December 9, 2010

By 

Bibliophile By the Sea (US) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Yoon and the Christmas Mitten (Hardcover)

Yoon, is a little girl who came to the United States from Korea. It is a country "far away", she says as she narrates this sweet holiday story.

Yoon's teacher reads a story about Mr Santa Claus, and how he brings presents on Christmas Eve. This is something new to Yoon, so when he teacher lets her bring home the book to share with he family, she is thrilled. He parents, however, are NOT so thrilled. They tell Yoon, "We are not a Christmas family", adding that their holiday is "New Year's Day". Yoon is mad at her parent's reaction and cannot understand why they do not like Santa Claus, or Christmas.

The next day Yoon and her classmates make popcorn balls to take home and to hang on the trees for the birds. Yoon's mother is upset because she does not like birds or squirrels. Yoon then begins to tell her mother about Santa's reindeer, but again she is stopped mid way when her mother says, "we are not a Christmas family". But, Yoon does not give up that easily, she begs her parents to allow her to leave out her bright red mitten on the night before Christmas. Her parents reluctantly agree, and she attaches the red mitten to the corner of her bed before she goes to sleep. When she wakes up she finds something special was left for her after all.

Yoon and the Christmas Mitten was a very sweet and touching story. It was the perfect type of book that would allow teachers and parents to discuss the holiday and how it is celebrated by people of other cultures. The watercolor illustrations by Gabi Swiatkowska was just lovely and the way they are drawn depicts what a young child who is different from most others in school, might be feeling or experiencing. Well done and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Beautiful Holiday Book, October 23, 2008

By 

Susan E. Collins (Rhode Island, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yoon and the Christmas Mitten (Hardcover)

Non denominational,full of the spirit that fills us all at special times of the year. Expressions of family,emotions of fitting in(or not),cultural traditions and innocent wonderment that touch adults and young ones alike. Beautiful,warm and memorable.