Relating to students’ own lives, I would ask them to think if they have known somebody from other countries and share what it is like interacting with that particular person. I would first introduce the book through read aloud and then have the class think aloud and discuss what they would do to appreciate and accept people from other cultures. This book would be used in the beginning of a unit about Immigration in a second/third-grade classroom. Moreover, through showing Yoon’s bewilderment and sense of dislocation, the book may help the children to develop an awareness of their unique identities and appreciation of their own cultures as immigrants. Therefore, it can be helpful to have the youngsters learn an abstract concept of empathy at this point. In the meantime, Yoon’s story may relate to millions of immigrant children who tend to be overwhelmed and struggle in a completely new environment. In a simple and straightforward way, it shows children how to accept and integrate others from different cultures that they might not have encountered before. This is a great book because it conveys to youngsters a positive message of respect and acceptance to different cultures and self-recognition and value. She comes to accept both her English name and her new American self, recognizing that however it is written, she is still Yoon.

In the end, she realizes that she is actually accepted by people surrounded her. In fact, she yearns for gaining the acceptance of her peers. Although her teacher encourages her to practice writing “Yoon”, the child substitutes other words for her name, words that better express her inner fears and hopes such as “cat” that can hide in a corner and cuddle with her mother, “bird” that can fly back to Korea, and finally, “cupcake” that is loved by her classmates. She struggles to please her parents by learning an unfamiliar language while surrounded by strangers. With a name “Yoon” meaning “shining wisdom”, the main character thinks that her name looks much happier written in Korean than in English. My Name Is Yoon is a moving story depicting a seven-year-old Korean girl’s difficult adjustment to her new life in America.

My name is yoon