A Letter to My Best Friend

April 15, 2024
Preschool-Grade 3 Jihun, a Korean boy now living in America, feels dismayed by his teacher's latest in-class writing assignment: write a letter to your best friend. After living here just one month, he has no friends, much less a best friend. Instead, he writes to his best friend in Korea, Oto, a cat! Since Oto doesn't read English, Jihun draws a picture instead but incorporates English letters into his drawing. An E lying on its side looks like Oto's front legs. Two upside-down Vs become the cat's ears. Piper, seated next to Jihun, keeps glancing at his letter and, at recess, asks him for help with drawing. By the end of the day, Jihun has a new best friend--a breakthrough for any child. Jihun's feeling of isolation is vividly portrayed. An author's note refers to Choi's memories of coming to the U.S. for art school and finding that she could write a story in English only if she drew it first. This insightful picture book may inspire empathy for other children learning a new language and culture.

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May 1, 2024
A young Korean immigrant makes a new friend while reflecting on an old pal. Jihun tentatively enters the classroom. "Today is the day I'll make friends," the young narrator says. "At least, that's what I promise myself." But Jihun's resolve is shaken when Ms. Alpha explains today's assignment: "Write a letter to your best friend." While the other students boast about their many friends, Jihun, who arrived in America just a month ago and has no friends, simply stares at the blank paper. With a gentle push from Ms. Alpha, the protagonist writes the letter O, then reflects on Oto, a gray-and-white cat whom Jihun left behind in Korea. Taking an artistic route, Jihun draws a portrait of Oto using letters: "I write E on its side, like his front legs." "I swirl an S backward twice, like his tail." The assignment elicits memories both happy (the two playing together) and sad: Oto's swishing tail when Jihun waved goodbye to him. Jihun's classmate Piper notices the portrait and initially warns Jihun to "stop doodling and write." But eventually Jihun's artistry intrigues Piper...and leads to a new friendship. Choi's meditative prose pulses with quiet joys, while the use of softly blended colors brings warmth and charm to the simple cartoons and textured backdrops. Ms. Alpha is brown-skinned, Piper is light-skinned, and the class is diverse. A delightful tale of fostering connection through art. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-7)

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August 30, 2024

PreS-Gr 1-Warm watercolors bloom across the pages of this sweet story about Jihun, a student who recently moved to the United States from Korea, as he creatively expresses his love for a dear friend back home and, in doing so, makes a new friend in his class. Tasked by his teacher to write a letter about a best friend, Jihun artistically uses alphabet letters to draw the form of his cat, Otto, who was his best friend in Korea, much to the surprise and, eventually, delight of his seat neighbor, Piper. Delightful memories filter through the pages as Jihun's work progresses, using light lines, pastel hues, and a smooth wash to fill the curving forms. All of these soft, illustrative elements match the even cadence of an introverted yet heartfelt narrative voice, drawing readers into Jihun's quiet uncertainty that then transforms into happiness as his memories unfold and he later forms a newfound connection with Piper. Given Jihun's innovative letter-making choice and Piper's-and the teacher's-acceptance of this form of expression, this book can also serve as an example to students about embracing new students' languages and capabilities without judgement, and inviting new friends to share their personal stories. VERDICT Inspired by the clarity of voice and quietly expressive watercolors, young readers will easily connect with Jihun's melancholy from missing a dear friend and celebrate his joy in expressing that love and finding hope in a budding friendship.-Rachel Mulligan

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