On a more serious note, the touching Yoon and the Christmas Mitten focuses on a family that has just arrived in America from Korea. Young Yoon comes home from school full of excitement about Mr. Santa Claus and his presents. She is ready to join the fun, but her parents admonish her that We are not a Christmas family. Our holiday is New Year’s Day. Yoon remains determined to throw herself into the holiday of her new culture, however, and is so desperate to celebrate that she pins her red mitten to her blanket and hopes that Santa will fill it during the night. The issue is resolved beautifully, and when Yoon receives a candy cane, she thinks she has a piece of the North Pole. Helen Recorvits has fashioned an extremely well-crafted tale about an immigrant child’s experience in a new country. Gabi Swiatkowska’s rich artwork swirls with images of a family immersed in both American and Korean cultures. Vivid splashes of red appear throughout, grounding the holiday brightness amid a backdrop of pastels and more fleeting images that fill Yoon’s thoughts and hours.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
