Helen Recorvits – författare

Getting to feel at home in a new countryYoon's name means "shining wisdom," and when she writes it in Korean, it looks happy, like dancing figures. But her father tells her that she must learn to write it in English. In English, all the lines and circles stand alone, which is just how Yoon feels in the United States. Yoon isn't sure that she wants to be YOON. At her new school, she tries out different names—maybe CAT or BIRD. Maybe CUPCAKE!Helen Recorvits's spare and inspiring story about a little girl finding her place in a new country is given luminous pictures filled with surprising vistas and dreamscapes by Gabi Swiatkowska.My Name Is Yoon is a Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year.

A touching story about heroismTen-year-old Junior wasn''t even born when his father came home from World War II, but he knows his dad was a war hero. He''d been a pilot, and Junior would like to know more about his wartime experiences, but his dad doesn''t want to talk about the war and gets mad whenever the subject comes up. Plenty of other things make him angry, too, especially Junior''s best friend, Lenny, a polio survivor. Even though Lenny is no longer contagious, Junior''s father doesn''t want his son taking any chances. Junior knows better and he''s not going to let his father ruin his summer or his friendship. His dad comes close to doing both until something happens that shows everyone where heroes hide.