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One Afternoon
Minho and his mother have a busy afternoon doing errands in the neighborhood
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1994
2 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Yumi Heo
37 books13 followersYumi Heo (1964-2016) was a children's author and illustrator who was born and raised in Korea, where she studied graphic design. She came to New York City in 1989, and received an MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts. She llustrated many picture-books for young people, including Father’s Rubber Shoes, The Green Frogs: A Korean Folk Tale, and One Afternoon. She lived for some years in White Plains, New York, with her husband, Steve, and their children. Yumi Heo died in 2016 of cancer.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 1, 2015
I liked the illustrations; I think it's important to have good illustrations in a picture book and I've been known to give really good ratings on illustrations alone.
I liked the size of the book: it's large and the pictures fill the page; the font is nice and big, with only one line per page instead of cluttered text that irritates me.
But the plot leaves me wanting. There wasn't a moral, which I prefer in picture books because I judge them based on "Would I read this to my (future) child?" or "Would this book teach my (future) child something important?" or at the very least, "Would my (future) child find this amusing?" And I answered these questions no. I wasn't amused, and the ending in my opinion, was flat.
WHAT?? At first I thought that I was missing pages or something.
So yeah, two stars for nice illustrations/presentation. Three stars knocked off because of that ending.
I liked the size of the book: it's large and the pictures fill the page; the font is nice and big, with only one line per page instead of cluttered text that irritates me.
But the plot leaves me wanting. There wasn't a moral, which I prefer in picture books because I judge them based on "Would I read this to my (future) child?" or "Would this book teach my (future) child something important?" or at the very least, "Would my (future) child find this amusing?" And I answered these questions no. I wasn't amused, and the ending in my opinion, was flat.
WHAT?? At first I thought that I was missing pages or something.
So yeah, two stars for nice illustrations/presentation. Three stars knocked off because of that ending.
April 30, 2019
A boy and his mom spend an insanely busy day doing errands in the city. Nothing else happens, though the frenetic artwork is fun to examine.
October 8, 2018
This is a nice short story to read to your younger students. The illustrations are done well and the book is big enough so your students can see the pictures. Great multicultural book to add to your lessons.
February 16, 2018
Cute short story with lots of pictures that help the child follow along easily. It could also turn into an interactive read and will be in my future classroom.
July 30, 2019
One Afternoon shows simply, one afternoon a boy runs errands with his mother. Nothing more.
I use this book in my caregiving job. The text is basic but the illustrations are large, colorful, and captivating. What I found was that children commented or asked questions about each page. We talked and read.
I recommend One Afternoon for ages 2-5 years old.
I use this book in my caregiving job. The text is basic but the illustrations are large, colorful, and captivating. What I found was that children commented or asked questions about each page. We talked and read.
I recommend One Afternoon for ages 2-5 years old.
November 22, 2018
This story taught me that attitude is crucial.
Alissa enjoyed all the sounds and pictures. She was concerned that she couldn't find Minho on the street construction page.
Alissa enjoyed all the sounds and pictures. She was concerned that she couldn't find Minho on the street construction page.
April 28, 2020
Great for onomatopoeia! Also a good view of urban life.
June 17, 2015
In One Afternoon by Yumi Heo, Minho and his mom go into town to run a number of errands. While they are out, they are swept up in the noise and bustle of the city. At the laundromat, they watch the clothes thump and spin in the machines. At the ice cream shop, the shake machine fills up cups with motorized, metallic whirring. The cats and dogs in the pet store bark and meow, while birds twirp. After experiencing the sights and sounds of these and many more places, it is time for Minho and his mom to return home for some peace and quiet. Minho lies down on the couch to rest, but finds that a leaky faucet will not allow him the quietness that he expected to find at home.
One Afternoon focuses more heavily upon pictures than on text. While sentences are provided on each page to identify the location to which Minho and his mother have traveled, there is not much description or detail provided by the text beyond that point. Characterization is not much of a consideration here, since the book is mainly a visual feast of sights and sounds. The sounds of the various objects, people, and animals in the city are represented in the illustrations through large painted letters. Many of the sound words represented in the drawings are graphically representative of the objects they portray. For example, the “vroom” of cars is depicted with letters that look as though they have been run over by tire treads. In addition, the size and boldness of the onomatopoeic words correlate with the loudness of the sounds they represent. The “wufs” of the dogs are painted in large, thick black letters, perhaps to denote their loudness and force. The “meows” of the cats are medium-sized, and the “tweetles” of birds are printed in tiny letters, as if to match their smaller voices.
The artwork for this book was drawn in pencil and filled in with oil paint. A collage technique is also used to provide texture and visual appeal to the paintings. The illustrations are full of a variety of colors, objects, and textures, all dancing around the page in a haphazard organization that does much to evoke the sense of hustle and bustle found in urban areas. The illustrations typically consist of a plain colored background, with objects spread around the page. With so much going on in the foreground in terms of noise and activity, detailed background textures would be overwhelming and distract from the story. In addition, the figures and objects found in the paintings can be described as highly stylized. The people have large ovular heads that are disproportionate to the rest of the body. Thin arms and legs sprout of barrel-like torsos, while objects such as ice cream cones and dogs are drawn very loosely and freely, without strict attention to symmetry and realism. This style of art does a good job of reflecting the modern feel of the city shown in the book.
One Afternoon focuses more heavily upon pictures than on text. While sentences are provided on each page to identify the location to which Minho and his mother have traveled, there is not much description or detail provided by the text beyond that point. Characterization is not much of a consideration here, since the book is mainly a visual feast of sights and sounds. The sounds of the various objects, people, and animals in the city are represented in the illustrations through large painted letters. Many of the sound words represented in the drawings are graphically representative of the objects they portray. For example, the “vroom” of cars is depicted with letters that look as though they have been run over by tire treads. In addition, the size and boldness of the onomatopoeic words correlate with the loudness of the sounds they represent. The “wufs” of the dogs are painted in large, thick black letters, perhaps to denote their loudness and force. The “meows” of the cats are medium-sized, and the “tweetles” of birds are printed in tiny letters, as if to match their smaller voices.
The artwork for this book was drawn in pencil and filled in with oil paint. A collage technique is also used to provide texture and visual appeal to the paintings. The illustrations are full of a variety of colors, objects, and textures, all dancing around the page in a haphazard organization that does much to evoke the sense of hustle and bustle found in urban areas. The illustrations typically consist of a plain colored background, with objects spread around the page. With so much going on in the foreground in terms of noise and activity, detailed background textures would be overwhelming and distract from the story. In addition, the figures and objects found in the paintings can be described as highly stylized. The people have large ovular heads that are disproportionate to the rest of the body. Thin arms and legs sprout of barrel-like torsos, while objects such as ice cream cones and dogs are drawn very loosely and freely, without strict attention to symmetry and realism. This style of art does a good job of reflecting the modern feel of the city shown in the book.
January 31, 2014
This is my week for onomatopoeia. It's pretty prevalent in picture books, I suppose. But this particular book weaves the sounds into the actual actions. The sounds swirls in shapes, rattles and bumps, and swing across the page . The sound of the washing machines is inside the machines. The sound of hair being snipped is shaped with the pieces of hair that are drifting down. The sounds of a jack hammer fly away like pieces of concrete.
The characters and supporting cast, like the sounds, come in a delightful array.
The characters and supporting cast, like the sounds, come in a delightful array.
November 30, 2015
Heo, Y. (1994). One afternoon. New York: Orchard Books.
A good book to read aloud. A good book to focus of the pictures and sound than just the text. It had great illustration to keep the reader engaged. This would be a good book for pre-k, because they will learn different sounds throughout the book. Also good to get the students involved and have them act the sounds out based on what they hear. It's easy to follow along and also good for students to understand a different culture and maybe compare and contrast what goes on in their culture compared to others.
A good book to read aloud. A good book to focus of the pictures and sound than just the text. It had great illustration to keep the reader engaged. This would be a good book for pre-k, because they will learn different sounds throughout the book. Also good to get the students involved and have them act the sounds out based on what they hear. It's easy to follow along and also good for students to understand a different culture and maybe compare and contrast what goes on in their culture compared to others.
April 4, 2013
This is Yumi Heo's first published book, which I acquired when I was at Orchard Books (Scholastic is listed as the publisher because they acquired Orchard).
It's a simple story of a boy and his mother walking through their city neighborhood, and encountering many sounds. At the end they get back to their apartment, which is quiet. Or is it?
It's a simple story of a boy and his mother walking through their city neighborhood, and encountering many sounds. At the end they get back to their apartment, which is quiet. Or is it?
September 23, 2014
I thought that the plot was interesting and fun to read. It was a great book to flip through, and read the story. I also thought that the artwork was also very nicely done in this book, and that the artwork went perfectly with the plot line.
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September 1, 2015This book is a great book to use for teaching students in Pre-K and Kindergarten about the different places that we go to on a daily basis. This books also contains contains sounds that we hear on a daily basis.
July 10, 2010
Good book for a read aloud. Every page has sound words on it like thump thud.
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December 16, 2010Hello, World - unit 6
Leveled Books - Lexile 110
Leveled Books - Lexile 110
September 10, 2016
Read April 2009
September 8, 2012
Wildly good illustrations.
July 30, 2014
A visual masterpiece!
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August 10, 20172282
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews