Pak's (Dear Juno) tale stars an immigrant girl's first school day, which ends on a hopeful note, despite a difficult start. The author establishes the warmth of Sumi's home life with her mother teaching her how to say her name and accompanying her to school. But when Sumi sees the big building and how loud and noisy the children are, she concludes, "School is a scary place." The spare sentences emphasize the isolation Sumi feels, while Kim's (Duck Song) soft-edged illustrations convey the poignant emotional content of each page. When her mother leaves the classroom, Sumi decides, "School is a lonely place." The illustration focuses on Sumi's apprehensive face in the foreground as she grips her lunch box, her mother receding in the upper left-hand corner. When a boy makes fun of her, Sumi thinks, "School is a mean place." A multicultural bevy of students smirk in the background as a close-up of Sumi's face subtly conveys her brave but devastated reaction. After three examples of unkindness, Pak offers three examples of considerate behavior. ("Maybe school is not so scary.... Maybe school is not so lonely.") With a final underscoring of the theme, Sumi tells a new friend her name, and they walk hand-in-hand into the "not-so-lonely, not-so-scary, not-so-mean class together." Ages 3-7. (July)
