Nobody Knew My Name: Danbi Leads The School Parade by Anna Kim

On my first day of my new school in America, my heart beat "BOOM BOOM."

Mama held me and whispered, "Listen to your teacher and eat your lunch."

I said, "Don't worry, Mama, I will be good today!"

But beyond that red door, Danbi sees everyone in the class staring at her. The teacher smiles and shows her how to write her name, and Danbi does, but she doesn't understand what anyone is saying and she doesn't know how to play any of the games. Danbi tries, but it's embarrasing when her one block makes the whole tower fall. No one plays with her. Finally the teacher claps her hands and everyone pulls out lunch boxes.

"That I know how to do!" thought Danbi.

She opens her tall round lunch box, and there is a fancy feast--yams in honey, crystal dumplings, sweet and sour mini skewers, rainbow drops half-moon rice cakes. Amid their peanut butter and cheese sandwiches and juice boxes, they look exotic. The other kids are wowed! Danbi notices that the girl next to her is looking wishfully at her lunch box,

The girl next to her was looked hungrily at her lunch... so Danbi gave her a rainbow drop.

UH OH!

Ooops! The rainbow drop drops back into Danbi's lunch box. The girl doesn't know how to eat with chopsticks. Everyone laughs and Danbi gives her a lesson. Then Danbi has an idea: She taps on her lunch box with one chopstick.

TING!

The girl taps the other chopstick on her juice box.

TI-DING!

And Danbi and her new friend begin to march around the room drumming on their lunch boxes and soon the whole class joins them . They play together at recess, and afterward her new friend Nelly teaches her to write her name and then they write both names in English letters... on their cubbies, side by side:

SOFT AND ROUND WITH A DOT OVER ONE STRAIGHT LINE.

There are first days of school and then there are first days of school in a different country and in a new language, and Anna Kim makes use of her own experiences at school in America to give young readers an glimpse at how hard it is to be a stranger in a strange school, in her upbeat first day story, Danbi Leads the School Parade (Viking, 2020). Kim's story from the standpoint of being a really NEW kid at school is told with great understanding for all involved in Danbi's first day, and the author's artwork is charming and vivacious in the style of Hilary Knight's memorable illustrations for Kay Thompson's classic Eloise books. Kirkus Reviews gives this new one a rave starred review, saying, "Enchanting illustrations dazzle—particularly through the diverse characters’ hair and facial expressions that detail individuals’ unique traits while celebrating the entire cohort. Imaginative, irreverent, improvisational fun in kindergarten."

Mom! I'm Hungry!: Bee-Bim Bop by Linda Sue Park

Almost time for supper. Rush to the store!

Mom buys the groceries--"More, Mom, more!"

"Hurry, Mom, hurry! Gotta hop, hop, hop!"

It's late afternoon and at least one little tummy is grumbling. But Mom has a favorite stand-by she knows is quick and satisfying--bee-bim bop, which means "rice and everything stirred together."

Back at home mother and daughter set to work like a well-oiled wok. The little girl measures out a pot of water for the rice and beats the eggs bubbly and fluffy for the egg pancakes, and then tosses her mom just the right cooking tool:

"Mom, catch the spatula! Flip the eggs high!"

"Hungry, hungry, hungry!"

Rice simmers and Mama chop, chop, chops, and into the stir-fry go green onions, spinach, carrots, chicken, and sprouts to sizzle up together while the daughter sets the table with spoons, chopsticks, and her favorite plates and bowls striped in blue. Mama takes up the dinner, arranging the thinly sliced egg strips, the stir-fried meat and veggies, and the rice artfully in their own serving bowls.

"Hurry, family, hurry! Dinner's on the table.

Rice goes in the middle.

Egg goes on top.

Mix it. Mix, mix, mix!

It's bee-bim bop!"

Is everybody hungry now? Who could resist Mama's best quick supper, and Linda Sue Park's delicious Bee-Bim Bop! (Clarion) certainly sets the table with a place for all of us. With warm and appealing illustrations by HuBaek Lee, Newbery-winning author Linda Sue Park takes us into a comfy Korean-American kitchen for a cooking lesson that will have almost everyone crying "Bee-Bim Bop!" too! A full recipe is appended in case readers want to try out this homey specialty themselves. Break out the chopsticks and chow down!

Linda Sue Park is the versatile author of noted historical fiction works, including A Single Shard, and The Kite Fighters, set in medieval Korea, When My Name Was Keoko, her novel of Japanese-occupied Korea, Keeping Score, a story of the post-war Brooklyn Dodgers, and her recent installment in the popular adventure series, The 39 Clues, Book 9: Storm Warning.