ALA Booklist (Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2001)

Unhei has just come with her family from Korea and is starting school. Her name is pronounced Yoon-hye, which means grace, but she feels awkward about it after some teasing on the school bus. She decides to choose an American name, and her classmates oblige her by filling a glass jar with their suggestions. Her mother reminds her that she and her grandmother went to a name master for Unhei's name, and Unhei practices stamping her name with the beautiful name stamp her grandmother gave her. Finally, Unhei decides to keep her own name, and one of her classmates even has a stamp made for himself with the Korean characters for friend . The paintings are mostly in gold and earth tones, and the figures have both stature and simplicity--as does the story.

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2002)

When young Unhei left Korea, her grandmother gave her a small wooden block with her name carved in it. In America, however, no one can pronounce her name, and Unhei decides to choose a new one. Eventually, though, she comes to realize that she likes her Korean name best. The sensitively told story is illustrated with warm paintings that portray Unhei's multicultural urban neighborhood and school.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-On the way to her first day of school, Unhei is teased by the children on the bus for her Korean name. When she reaches her classroom and is asked her name, she tells her classmates that she has not yet decided on one. To be helpful the children put their suggestions into a "name jar." Eventually the girl decides to keep her own name as one of her classmates takes pride in the new Korean nickname he has chosen, Chinku, meaning "friend." The round, red imprint of the Korean character for Unhei's name provides the graphic manifestation of the story's theme. Attractive golden endpapers feature random repetitions of the stamp imprint interspersed with her classmates' handwritten suggestions on scraps of torn paper. The bold, bright paintings that illustrate the story are realistic, warm, and appealing. Unfortunately, the text sags under the weight of its mission to describe how it might feel to immigrate. A well-meaning and visually attractive effort, but uninspired.-Dorian Chong, School of Library and Information Science, San Jose State University, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.