Something for School

by Hyun Young Lee

On the first day of kindergarten, a teacher asks the boys and girls to line up, and Yoon lines up with the other girls. But when some children mistake Yoon for a boy because of her short hair, Yoon bursts into tears.

Does she really look like a boy? At home, Yoon finds a solution. Her sister s special headband is perfect! When she wears it to kindergarten, no one teases or mistakes her for anything but who she is! Yoon has a lovely time with her new friends.

But Yoon s sister has been missing her special headband so when Yoon has to go back to school without it, she s worried all over again.

Thankfully, her friends like Yoon exactly the way she is.

Genres: Picture Books, School, Childrens

30 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This came in handy to discuss how some girls have short hair and aren't boys with my 2 year old. We just happened to pick this up at the library just days after having a few confusing incidents ourselves.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book better than I did. Yoon's haircut and clothing make her look like a boy, and when she first goes to kindergarten, the children think she is a boy, which hurts her feelings. What bothered me is that, in the 2-page spread of the class picture, Yoon is crying, which is clearly upsetting many of the children, and the teachers aren't paying any attention to her. You'd think they would try to comfort her and explain the mix-up to the class. That really bothered me.

When Yoon gets home she finds a headband of her sister's that is actually kind of cool--it has a scarf and curls attached to it. Pretty nifty. When she wears it to school no one questions her gender, and she's happy. But what will they think the next day, when she can't find the headband? It's difficult to interpret the ending--some boys and girls ask her to jump rope with them. As I see it, this can be interpreted in two ways--either they're so used to her that they know now that she's a girl, or it doesn't matter what her gender is because they're playing games that girls and boys together can play. I think the author meant to emphasize the fact that Yoon found a solution all on her own. But did her "solution" really solve the problem? I'm not sure this book would really comfort someone whose looks are gender-uncertain. It's not a bad story as far as it goes--it just needs something.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet little book about a Korean girl who gets mistaken for a boy on the 1st day of school. She borrows her sisters headband with fake hair, but then realizes that once the kids know her it doesn't matter what she looks like. Lovely illustrations and all of the background illustrations have Korean writing and cultural details.

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

make some predictions of what may happen next. Take your pre-k students on a picture walk.

[Juliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something for School is a realistic fiction book about a Korean girl named Yoon who gets mistaken as a boy on the first day of kindergarten. Yoon is excited to meet her classmates and make new friends but instead ends up running into complications over her appearance. Yoon feels upset over the comments that were made in class over her appearance. At home, she tries on her mother's things and her sister's things and finds a headband with fake hair that she tried on and falls in love with. She enjoys the headband just because it makes her look "more like a girl". The next day at school she had a wonderful day, no one mistaken her for a boy and she has a great day at school. The next day she wakes up and the headband is gone, she gets scared and upset that the kids in her class will think she is a boy again, but then realizes that the kids do not care what she looks like they like her regardless of what she looks like. The book contains a lot of Korean writing and the illustrations are simple and unique. The plot and the representation of the problem is very realistic. This book shows kids that we shouldn't change ourselves in order to fit into society. We should embrace what is unique about ourselves and be accepted for who we are and not what we try to be.

[Allie Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yoon is a little Korean girl starting her first day of school. Yoon is timid about starting school. She is saddened to realize when she gets to school, the other kids mistaken her as a boy. Yoon feels the need to change her appearance because of this. The next day, Yoon takes her sisters hat with long hair in it and wears it to school, so the other students will no longer mistaken her as a boy. One day, Yoon forgets to bring the hat. She is terrified the other students will not want to play with her anymore. However, she is wrong. The other kids still want to play with her and accept her for who she is. This story teaches children the lesson to not judge others by their appearance, and that it is okay to be different. This would be a great lesson to teach in an elementary school class to teach students the valuable lesson to never judge someone by physical appearance, and being your true authentic self is more than enough!

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the problems we see Yoon having at school and I love how she solves them and how kind the children were once they knew she was a girl. I love how the story shows that people can unintentionally hurt our feelings. I love how it shows we can solve our problems and we think about them and try different things. I love how it shows that people are good-hearted.

Great book. I hope Hyun Young Lee writes many more!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the first day of school, Yoon is devastated when the other students and teachers mistake her for a boy. So, that night at home, she is determined to change her look, a bit, so she looks more like a girl. She finally decides to wear her sister’s headband. And it works! But the next day, her sister takes the headband back. Will her friends still think she’s a girl?

Cute story.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I too also struggle with looking like a boy lol

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice book for the "every child" category in diverse literature. This one features a little Asian girl who looks like a boy. She eventually learns that people will see her for what she actually is. Very nice.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting story about the difficulties of being picked on at school and the transition to Kindergarten. I can sympathize with the young girl, having had short hair as a young girl and being mistaken for a boy at least once. Our girls don't have that problem, but liked the story.

[Denicemarcell]

its cute but it does re-enforce gender stereotypes; all the girls wore dresses and skirts except Yoon

[Sharonta Johnson]

This is a great book on how we are all different but how as a class and community we should embrace our differences and love each other for them.