Merry Christmas!

Brooklyn Museum book fair

It's always nice to see the people actually reading my books up close.

There are no scary wolves in Chinese

Writing process blog tour

Hello, I'm doing this blog tour. It's children's book authors answers same 4 questions on their blog, and tag another author for next.
The author who tagged me is Abby Hanlon. who is my neighbor, and she has this wonderful book coming out in few days. It's called "Dory Fantasmagory".  I haven't got my hands on the copy yet, but according to SLJ, it would be good. So that's on my 5 year old boy's next reading list.

And here's my 4 questions:

What am I working on?

I just finished the picture book called "PUDDLE"

It started 3 years ago, when I spent most of my time with my 2 year old son. It was one of this rainy day, we finished our routines long time ago, had snacks twice already, looked out of window so many times, and it was still raining. So we decided to draw "the rainy day". Well,actually I drew, and my son's eyes followed my drawing and he laughed, surprised and pleaded. That was the moment which become this book PUDDLE.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

It's always been my question , but I couldn't find my answer just yet.

Why do I write what I do?

I love to read stories, watch movies, and listen other people talking. I'm pretty content with being a good listener or good reader most of time, but sometimes you want to tell your stories. We all have some stories to tell, aren't we?
Unfortunately I am not a good talker, when I tell the stories, my words jumbled, I mumbled.
So this picture book form is just perfect form to tell my stories,  I can mull it over as long as i want, if I couldn't find my words, I can just show you the picture!

How does my writing process work?

First, I have this idea. And I make up this story in my head and think about it for myself if it's good story or not. Usually for me it seems terrific at first. It seems most brilliant idea ever published. 
And then, I tell this wonderful story to my kids all excited, but obviously they usually said "OK" playing Lego. Even my 10 year old boy know what "OK' really means.(!)
Then I questioned this story myself little disheartened. 
But I start to write anyway, this time I drew this little boxes and draw tiny pictures in them(They call this thumbnails). It helps me to see the whole story line.  There's whole bunch of doodles following. Sometimes it works, and then it become a book.  But lot of times, it goes into the drawer.

When it looks like A book to me. I make it to a dummy and show this to my editor and my agent very nervously.

 They are super kind, and encourage me to work on for little more something. And that little more something could be question like "How does my work differ from others of its genre?"(-yes, I told you it's the question I haven't find the answer yet). So it takes a little while to work on that. 
I keep working to find the little more something.If it's very lucky, it become a book. Sometimes I never can work thing out. So I start with another idea, another seed all over again.

***

For the next blog tour, I'll toss the ball across the country to Tao Nyeu. If you're children's book lover, you know her already. Lucky for me I went to same school(SVA) with her, I had chance to see her work. 

Since I've been waiting for her new book after her irresistibly cute  Squid and Octopus, it will be nice to see what she's been up to.

Thanks for reading .^^ 

review from BCCB

The twins from The Twins’ Blanket (BCCB 10/11) have returned, and they’re still not very good at sharing, especially sharing their mother (“We have only one mom. This is a big problem”). Now there’s a new little sister, and the twins don’t have much mom attention to fight over, so what do they do? Fight about taking care of their little sister, of course (“The only problem now is we need another one”). It’s refreshing to see a new baby book that focuses on the effect on existing sibling dynamics, and the strong-willed twosome, with the text entirely their dialogue, continues to be authentically endearing and annoying at the same time. Yum’s il- lustrations are spare and airy, with casually careful compositions making clear the childlike ease of the drafting is a deliberate choice; daubs of warm-toned paint (the kids are glowingly rosy-cheeked) gain rhythm from occasional uses of pattern, as in the girls’ polka-dotted dresses. Kids similarly afflicted with the requirement to share will find kindred spirits in the twins. DS

The fun book of scary stuff

Emily Jenkins wrote, i illustrated.

It's so much fun to work on Emily's fun(yes, it's fun, told you so in the title)characters.

Puddle

I've been working on this book this summer. And here's the test print, i'm very pleased.

Hornbook mentioned..

http://www.hbook.com/2014/09/choosing-books/recommended-books/picture-book-sequels-youve-waiting/

Those strong-willed sisters fromThe Twins’ Blanket are back in The Twins’ Little Sister, a fresh take on both the sibling-rivalry and new-baby themes. Ever competitive, they are now fighting over Mom’s attention when, despite their objections, Mom brings home a new baby sister. Author/illustrator Hyewon Yum’s twins are believably childlike in their directness and self-centeredness. Each step forward in accepting the baby has its source in a self-interested motive, but accept her they finally do — and the twist at the end is both funny and fitting. Collage elements add texture and interest to the gouache illustrations. (Farrar/Foster, 3–5 years)

bccb review for twins' little sister

The twins from The Twins’ Blanket (BCCB10/11) have returned, and they’re still not very good at sharing, especially sharing their mother (“We have only one mom. This is a big problem”). Now there’s a new little sister, and the twins don’t have much mom attention to fight over, so what do they do? Fight about taking care of their little sister, of course (“The only problem now is we need another one”). It’s refreshing to see a new baby book that focuses on the effect on existing sibling dynamics, and the strong-willed twosome, with the text entirely their dialogue, continues to be authentically endearing and annoying at the same time. Yum’s il- lustrations are spare and airy, with casually careful compositions making clear the childlike ease of the drafting is a deliberate choice; daubs of warm-toned paint (the kids are glowingly rosy-cheeked) gain rhythm from occasional uses of pattern, as in the girls’ polka-dotted dresses. Kids similarly afflicted with the requirement to share will find kindred spirits in the twins. DS

story time at the Greenlight Bookstore

Join me for the reading my new book TWINS' LITTLE SISTER
http://www.greenlightbookstore.com/event/story-time-hyewon-yum

Starred review from PW!!

Having solved their blanket-sharing dilemma in The Twins’ Blanket, the twins at the center of this companion book are jostling for their mother’s time and attention. Those resources are in even shorter supply after a baby sister enters the picture. Yum packs a novel’s worth of emotion into her pages, from the twins’ unvarnished initial assessment of their sibling (“The baby is red and ugly. She looks like the bread in a paper bag”) to the hard-to-shake disappointments and jealousies that eventually give way to competitive attempts to be the better big sister. A sensitive, true-to-life story of a family’s growth that never turns saccharine. Ages 3–6. Agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Anyone who can write a children’s story without a moral, had better do so: that is, if he is going to write children’s stories at all. The only moral that is of any value is that which arises inevitably from the whole cast of the author’s mind.
- C.S Lewis: Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories

Review from SLJ

The Twins’ Little Sister. illus. by Hyewon Yum. 40p. Farrar/Frances Foster Bks. Aug. 2014. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780374379735. LC 2013013078.

PreS-Gr 1–The girls from The Twins’ Blanket (Farrar, 2011) are back and have something new to share—a baby sister! At first the twins aren’t so thrilled about the baby taking up all their mother’s time, but soon they realize that if they lend a hand, Mom will have more time to spend with them. They become so involved that they decide they need another baby! This semiautobiographical story puts a sweetly funny spin on the classic big sister plotline. The dual first-person narrative is comprised of dialogue, mostly between the twins as they sort out their feelings about their new sister. Once again, Yum shows a caring Asian family with the emphasis on the sibling relationship. Fans of the first book will be delighted that the blankets, along with the twins’ favorite colors, pink and yellow, make an appearance in the stylistic and painterly mixed-media illustrations. This book has broad appeal for big sisters- and brothers-to-be as well as for twins.–Amy Seto Musser, Denver Public Library

Review from Horn book

The Twins’ Little Sister

by Hyewon Yum; illus. by the author

Preschool    Foster/Farrar    40 pp.

8/14    978-0-374-37973-5    $16.99    

Those strong-willed sisters from The Twins’ Blanket (rev. 9/11) are back, having successfully transitioned from one shared bed and blanket to two beds and two blankets (one yellow and one pink, reflecting each twin’s decided color preference). Ever competitive, however, they are now fighting over Mom’s attention: “When we take a nap in the big grown-up bed, I want Mom to look at me.” “No, look at me. She’s my Mom!” It’s a problem. And the situation just gets worse when, despite their objections, Mom brings home a new baby sister: “Now Mom’s grown-up bed doesn’t have room for either of us.” Yum is one of our least sentimental picture book creators: her twins are believably childlike in their directness (“The baby is red and ugly”; “She looks like the bread in a paper bag”) and their unshakable belief that the world revolves around them (“Mom has only two arms. Who’s going to hold the baby’s hand?”). Each step forward in accepting the baby has its source in a self-interested motive, but accept her they finally do—and the twist at the end is both funny and fitting. As in The Twins’ Blanket, the picture book format is used inventively, with the yellow-loving twin mostly on left-hand pages and the pink one on the right. The collage elements (Mom’s patterned dress, for instance, and baby’s pink-and-yellow blankie) add texture and interest to the gouache illustrations. This is a fresh take on both the sibling-rivalry and new-baby themes; the unremarked-upon absence of another parent makes this a refreshingly nonpointed single-parent story as well. martha v. parravano

First Review for THE TWINS" LITTLE SISTER

THE TWINS' LITTLE SISTER
Author: Hyewon Yum
Illustrator: Hyewon Yum

Review Issue Date: June 15, 2014
Online Publish Date: June 4, 2014
Publisher:Frances Foster/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Pages: 40
Price ( Hardcover ): $17.99
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 978-0-374-37973-5
Category: Picture Books

New-big-sister dilemmas—times two.

Readers of The Twins’ Blanket (2011) will recognize the two adorable, identical twin girls in their polka-dot dresses (and of course, their striped blanket in the background). The twins have two of nearly everything, but they have only one mom, and this is a big problem. As they fight over whom mom will look at during nap time or whom she’ll push first on the swings, their mother’s bulging belly reveals an even bigger problem: a little sibling on the way. When the baby, who “looks like the bread in a paper bag,” arrives home, there’s suddenly not enough room for the twins on the grown-up bed or anyone to push them on the swings. But when the girls notice the attention they receive for helping with the new baby, their ever present competitiveness turns toward fighting over who’s the better big sister. Always reconciled eventually, the twins decide that the baby is kind of cute and that they don’t mind sharing their mom with her. As the competition to care for the baby continues, maybe their only problem now is that they need another baby sister! Ample white space allows the expressive, patterned artwork, created from prints, colored pencil, watercolor and other media, to show the twins’ range of emotions.

A spot-on look at sibling rivalry that will speak to multiples and singletons alike. (Picture book. 3-6)

From Kirkus

sera

sketch for upcoming book MUGUNGHWA

쌍둥이는 너무 좋아 (sisalive)

빙긋이 웃음 자아내는 쌍둥이의 이불 소동
어딘가에 나와 똑같은 이가 있을 거야. 어린 시절 그런 공상을 하며 쌍둥이가 아님을 아쉬워했다. 그래서 더 반가웠다. 그림책 <쌍둥이는 너무 좋아>는 이불 때문에 갈등하는 쌍둥이 이야기를 담고 있다.

2014년 03월 15일 (토) 12:28:10 [339호]
김상욱 (춘천교대 국어교육과 교수)
http://m.sisainlive.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=19628

어린 시절 대척점이란 말을 처음 배웠을 때다. 내가 서 있는 지구 정반대편의 한 지점을 가리키는 말이라고 했다. 아르헨티나였던가 우루과이였던가? 나는 이름도 생소한 그곳 어디쯤에는 분명 나와 다를 바 없는 누군가가 살고 있으리라 생각했다. 이렇게 큰 지구에 사는, 몇십 억이나 되는 사람들 가운데 어찌 나와 똑같은 이가 없을 수 있으랴. 그런 아이가 있다면 분명 대척점쯤에 살고 있으리라 생각했다. 그때의 나처럼 땟국물로 얼룩진 얼굴을 하고, 똑같이 엄마에게 때때로 꾸지람을 듣고, 똑같이 쓸모없는 공상으로 나날을 보내는 아이가 분명 있으리라 생각했다. 언젠가는 만나서, 한눈에 서로를 알아보고 지나온 일들을 얘기하고 싶었다.

그런데 이 공상을 현실 속에서 경험하는 이들이 있음을 알게도 되었다. 바로 쌍둥이들이다. 함께 엄마 뱃속에서 자라고, 비슷한 외모와 성격으로, 오래 가까이 지켜본 이들만 그 차이를 구별할 수 있는 쌍둥이 말이다. 지구 대척점이 아닌, 지금도 바로 내 곁에서 아웅거리고 헤헤거리는 쌍둥이야말로 정말 나와 똑같은 이가 아닌가. 나는 쌍둥이가 아님을 오래도록 아쉬워했다.



<쌍둥이는 너무 좋아> 염혜원 글·그림, 비룡소 펴냄
염혜원이 쓰고 그린 <쌍둥이는 너무 좋아>는 이런 이야기를 담고 있다. 작가 자신이 실제 쌍둥이였다니 어린 시절 얼마나 아기자기하고 알콩달콩한 일들이 많았을까. 책 속에 담겨 있는 이야기들은 얼마나 생생할까. 그런데 같은 방, 같은 장난감, 같은 이불 등 모든 것을 똑같이 나누는 이 쌍둥이에게도 갈등은 생겨난다. 성큼 자라 같은 이불을 더 이상 덮을 수 없게 된 것이다. 서로 양보할 수 없어 아옹다옹 다투기에 이르는 이 쌍둥이들은 작아진 이불을 어떻게 나누어야 할까? 결국 새 이불을 따로 만드는 수밖에. 이제 쌍둥이들은 노란색, 분홍색의 다른 이불을 갖게 된다. 물론 원래 덮었던 색동이불도 서로의 새로운 이불 한 귀퉁이를 저마다 차지하며.

실제 쌍둥이인 작가, 두 명의 화자 등장시켜

그림은 배경을 전적으로 배제하고, 인물과 인물에 직결된 대상들만을 화폭에 담아냄으로써 인물의 표정과 동작에 집중하도록 만든다. 인물의 차이는 서로 다른 색감과 서로 다른 헝겊 인형으로 구분 지었다. 섬세한 외곽선으로 인물을 표현하며, 붓질이 남아 있는 색조가 부드러운 채색을 통해 반복과 변주를 거듭 짝을 이뤄 제시하고 있다. 더욱이 이 그림책의 이야기꾼, 곧 서술자는 아주 예외적으로 둘이다. 그리고 둘 다 스스로를 ‘나’라고 지칭한다. “난 팔을 뻗어 동생 손을 잡았어”와 “나도 언니 손을 꼭 잡았어”처럼 두 화자가 펼침면을 두고 각자 ‘나’로 스스로를 지칭하며 생각과 느낌을 이야기한다. 그럼에도 전혀 모순되지 않고 주고받는 화음처럼 어울려 긴 펼침면 전체를 중층적으로 연결하고 있다. 시간을 공간적으로, 공간을 시간적으로 변주해 보임으로써 글과 글, 그림과 그림의 대위법이 정교하게 제시되어 있는 것이다.

내가 여자가 아니고 내가 쌍둥이가 아님은 자명하다. 그러니 나는 여자를 알 수 없고, 쌍둥이도 알 수 없다. 그러나 같고 다름은 어쩌면 결국에는 상대적인 것이 아닐까. 더 큰 시야로 보면 우리 모두가 다 쌍둥이이며, 더 정밀한 눈으로 보면 우리 모두가 서로 다른 존재가 아닐까. 같은 듯 다르고 다른 듯 같은. 이 차이 속의 동질성을, 동질성 속의 차이를 보여주고, 볼 수 있게 만드는 그림책들은 일단 좋은 작품이 되기 위한 필요조건을 갖춘 것은 아닐까.

Twin book in Korean

Translated

Excited to see my book in Chinese!