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ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: OFF-LIMITS
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://helenyoon.com/
CITY: Los Angeles
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in CA.
EDUCATION:Art Center College of Design, B.F.A.; University of California, Irvine, B.S.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and illustrator. Freelance illustrator and creative consultant, 2011—.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Helen Yoon is a writer and illustrator, who holds degrees from the University of California, Irvine and Art Center College of Design. Since 2011, Yoon, a California native, has worked as a freelance illustrator and creative consultant. She has illustrated books for other authors and has also published self-illustrated children’s books.
Among Yoon’s illustration work for other authors is Ball and Balloon, written by Rob Sanders. When red Ball sees blue Balloon swooping and flying through the air, he is disappointed that he is not able to move unless someone touches him. He is feeling sad when a child suddenly begins playing with him. Ball is elated when he scored points in a game. Meanwhile, Balloon watches, wishing he could play like Ball. When Ball sees Balloon brooding, he moves away from the action to interact with Balloon and make him feel better. Patrick Gall, reviewer in Horn Book, asserted: “Thanks to Yoon’s dynamic portrayal of movement and skillfully depicted facial expressions, the characters never appear static or stilted.”
Yoon’s first self-illustrated children’s book is Sheepish (Wolf under Cover). In this volume, a wolf dresses up in a disguise in order to get close to sheep on a farm. The wolf plans to eat the sheep. However, after getting to know the sheep, the wolf determines that he can no longer include them in his diet. As the wolf and the sheep interact, it is clear that the sheep know he is a wolf all along, but they play along with his ruse. A Kirkus Reviews critic suggested: “Kids will wolf this one down—and won’t feel sheepish about it.” Carolyn Phelan, contributor to Booklist, described the volume as “a well-crafted picture book that’s great fun for reading aloud.”
In Off-Limits, a little girl sneaks into her dad’s home office, despite a sign on the door telling her it is off-limits. Though she claims that she simply wants to look around, the girl ends up making a huge mess in the office. When she returns to her room, she is surprised to see that her dad has been playing with her toys. “This is a humorous and accessible story for young readers, and it is especially well suited to families in the throes of work from home,” commented Mary Lanni in School Library Journal. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews described the book as “timely and familiar, an endlessly charming ode to imagination and enjoying guilty pleasures for the preschool set.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, January 1, 2021, Carolyn Phelan, review of Sheepish (Wolf under Cover), p. 82.
Horn Book Magazine, September-October, 2019, Patrick Gall, review of Ball and Balloon, p. 70.
Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2020, review of Sheepish; October 1, 2021, review of Off-Limits.
School Library Journal, August, 2019, Mary Elam, review of Ball and Balloon, p. 61; August, 2021, Mary Lanni, review of Off-Limits, p. 66.
ONLINE
Helen Yoon website, https://helenyoon.com/ (April 12, 2022).
Helen Yoon - operating as a professional illustrator and creative consultant in the Greater Los Angeles area since 2011.
Born and raised in California, Helen Yoon graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a BS in chemistry and from Art Center College of Design with a BFA in illustration. She writes and draws for a living. She is fond of sabbaticals.
Helen Yoon is a professional illustrator and a freelance concept designer. She attended ArtCenter College of Design and the University of California, Irvine. She is the author-illustrator of Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover), her debut picture book with Candlewick Press. Helen Yoon lives in the Los Angeles area.
* SANDERS, Rob. Ball & Balloon. illus. by Helen Yoon. 40p. S. & S./Margaret K. McElderry Bks. Aug. 2019. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781534425620.
PreS-Gr 2--Ball is feeling low. He is envious of Balloon and his ability to soar gracefully into the sky. But "gravity had Ball down." He can't even manage a single bounce until helpful hands arrive to give him a beginning push, and suddenly he's flying high into the air. The presence of a basketball hoop (lightly represented in background images) sends Ball sailing from hand to hand, eventually scoring in a pickup game--"I'm so lucky... So lucky to be a ball"--and a momentarily "deflated" Balloon can do nothing but wait until a playmate finds games for both of his well-rounded friends. Brief text and dialogue emphasized by dramatic use of white space, color, and perspective enhance the graphic design and tire simple cartoon expressions of both Ball and Balloon. Characters speak with a child's voice as Ball's growing awareness of his own special abilities reveals to him that his joy is inside him, and life as a ball is just fine. VERDICT A soaring suggested first purchase for all libraries.--Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Piano ISD, TX
KEY: * Excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre | Tr Hardcover trade binding | lib. ed. Publisher's library binding | Board Board book | pap. Paperback | e eBook original | BL Bilingual | POP Popular Picks
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Elam, Mary. "SANDERS, Rob. Ball & Balloon." School Library Journal, vol. 65, no. 7, Aug. 2019, p. 61. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A596317705/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c1c75295. Accessed 11 Mar. 2022.
QUOTED: "Thanks to Yoon's dynamic portrayal of movement and skillfully depicted facial expressions, the characters never appear static or stilted."
Ball & Balloon
by Rob Sanders; illus. by Helen Yoon
Preschool, Primary McElderry 40 pp.
8/19 978-1-5344-2562-0 $17.99
e-book ed. 978-1-5344-2563-7 $10.99
Wordplay abounds in this otherwise minimal story (in both text and art) of envy and competition, empathy and acceptance. A helium-filled blue Balloon shows off for an envious red Ball ("gravity had Ball down") with a series of swoops and swirls. No matter how hard Ball tries to fly, roll, and bounce like Balloon, he stays earthbound. Self-satisfied with his aerial achievements, Balloon leaves the despondent Ball alone to mope--that is, until a young "someone" enters the story and begins to roll, bounce, and throw Ball across the playground. Soon Ball is swirling, sailing, and swooshing through crowds of kids with an expression of pure joy on his face--leaving the disregarded Balloon feeling "a bit deflated." Ball, knowing what it's like to feel down, generously leaves the fun of the playground to commiserate with him. Sanders concludes the story with the simple yet powerful statement that "someone understood." The pun-laden text is often delivered through succinct poetic phrases and succeeds at reinforcing the story's empathetic underpinnings. Ball and Balloon have an emoji-like quality, but thanks to Yoon's dynamic portrayal of movement and skillfully depicted facial expressions, the characters never appear static or stilted. Reminiscent of Amy Krouse Rosenthal's brand of silly and sentimental storytelling (Friendshape; Spoon; Chopsticks), this picture book is a ball.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
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Gall, Patrick. "Ball & Balloon." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 95, no. 5, Sept.-Oct. 2019, p. 70. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A610419023/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=840d9f5f. Accessed 11 Mar. 2022.
QUOTED: "Kids will wolf this one down—and won't feel sheepish about it."
Yoon, Helen SHEEPISH Candlewick (Children's None) $17.99 1, 12 ISBN: 978-1-5362-0732-3
A wolf in sheep’s clothing gets the wool pulled over its eyes.
A wolf adorned in fleecy disguise stealthily scuttles along to the farm’s sheep quarters, visions of scrumptious ovine delicacies dancing in its head. The wolf is so convinced it’s incognito among the crowd, it doesn’t notice the herd’s completely on to it the whole time. As if in a guidebook for would-be sheep predators, the wolf outlines steps in its master plan: “Be helpful…handy…fun…friendly…a team player…[and] the sheepiest sheep that ever was.” Giggle-inducing illustrations depict the wolf helping the sheep wash dishes, do laundry, bake, cut wood, enjoy exercise class and shuffleboard, and read to youngsters. Naturally, all these activities are designed to lull woolly critters into becoming…a wolf banquet. But wait! A winsome lamb’s post-storytime peck on the cheek tears the wolf’s plans asunder and sends it scurrying home, where it doffs its woolly duds and forsakes its former lifestyle and diet. All ends well when a knock on the door springs a bevy of costumed visitors on the incredulous erstwhile hunter. This amiable tale comically explores how love and acceptance can turn a dedicated curmudgeon’s stony heart to mush. The dynamic, cartoonish illustrations are the real draw and will capture kids’ chuckling attention; the minimal, humorous text will appeal to emergent readers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.3-by-16.8-inch double-page spreads viewed at 81.1% of actual size.)
Kids will wolf this one down—and won’t feel sheepish about it. (Picture book. 4-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Yoon, Helen: SHEEPISH." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2020, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A641314127/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d1e29569. Accessed 11 Mar. 2022.
QUOTED: "a well-crafted picture book that's great fun for reading aloud."
Sheepish (Wolf under Cover).
By Helen Yoon. Illus. by the author.
Jan. 2021.40p. Candlewick, $17.99 (9781536207323). PreS-Gr. 2.
At sunrise, a stealthy wolf disguises himself as a sheep, scoots across the fields, and joins a nearby flock crowding into their cafeteria. His costume does not fool the sheep, but they play along with his deception. After breakfast, the wolf carries out his nefarious plan to gain their trust. He washes dishes, participates in aerobics, and plays shuffleboard with them, while dreaming of the feast to come. After he reads a picture book to the lambs, a little one shyly kisses his cheek. Startled, disarmed, and befuddled, he runs home, muttering "NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE." The next day, he's reading about vegetarianism when the sheep arrive at his door in hastily made wolf costumes to tell him, "We missed you!" Amusing and endearing in equal measure, the detailed mixed-media illustrations use light beautifully in the outdoor scenes and effectively in the cafeteria-line picture, where the wolf's shadow reveals his identity. The straightforward story unfolds with simplicity, wit, and a certain irony based on the sheep's knowledge of the wolf's secret. While their awareness of his duplicity gives them the upper hand, their decision to befriend a would-be enemy makes them completely lovable. A well-crafted picture book that's great fun for reading aloud. --Carolyn Phelan
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Phelan, Carolyn. "Sheepish (Wolf under Cover)." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 9-10, 1 Jan. 2021, p. 82. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A650393171/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0ba64e6a. Accessed 11 Mar. 2022.
QUOTED: "This is a humorous and accessible story for young readers, and it is especially well suited to families in the throes of work from home."
YOON, Helen. Off-Limits. illus. by Helen Yoon. 32p. Candlewick. Oct. 2021. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781536207316.
PreS-Gr 1--Working from home can have its ups and downs, especially when young children are around. One day, a man with scruffy blond hair departs from his office, carefully placing an "off-limits" sign on his door before setting off for the kitchen with his trusty canine companion. Soon, a young girl with wide eyes, lightly tan skin, and two dark French braids opens the door to the office, flicks the light on, and addressing readers, claims she is merely going to have a look around. "And I don't think anyone would miss one piece of tape. Just one little teeny tiny piece." What follows is a visual celebration of paper clips, document holders, and way too much tape in a confetti-laden tornado of color and movement. Once the damage is done, the girl sneaks back to her room to find an unexpected surprise: her father is rocking out among her toys with an audience of stuffed animals. This delightful story incorporates the wistful dreams of both parent and child alike, especially in the current WFH reality. Very few words are included in the narrative, as the illustrations do most of the storytelling. Pastel colors begin in drab hues, adding more color with the arrival of the little girl into the story. Readers will love observing the child engaging in a familiar rendition of pretend play, and dynamic visuals and playful textual placement will captivate the attention of a range of readers. Work is not always fun, but this enjoyable tale helps remind parents of the joys that come from an uncluttered desk and a variety of available office supplies. VERDICT This is a humorous and accessible story for young readers, and it is especially well suited to families in the throes of work from home.--Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver P.L.
KEY: * Excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre | Tr Hardcover trade binding | lib. ed. Publisher's library binding | Board Board book | pap. Paperback | e eBook original | BL Bilingual | POP Popular Picks
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Lanni, Mary. "YOON, Helen. Off-Limits." School Library Journal, vol. 67, no. 8, Aug. 2021, p. 66. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A670397901/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8dc8b196. Accessed 11 Mar. 2022.
QUOTED: "Timely and familiar, an endlessly charming ode to imagination and enjoying guilty pleasures for the preschool set."
Yoon, Helen OFF-LIMITS Candlewick (Children's None) $16.99 10, 12 ISBN: 978-1-5362-0731-6
After their father leaves the room, a young child turns an ordinary home office into a covert playground of joy and wonder.
Despite the sign that clearly marks the home office as "OFF-LIMITS," a young child seizes the opportunity to explore the space unsupervised. Rationalizing their intrusion as harmless, the curious explorer then sneaks "one little teeny-tiny piece" of tape. This small transgression snowballs until a lamp, stapler, and the child themselves are covered in tape. Moving on, the intrepid decorator discovers paper clips and binder clips. These are linked together to form joyous loops that circle around the child like a choreographed ballet. The pi�ce de r�sistance comes with the discovery of small, pastel sticky-notes that create a kaleidoscopic riot of patterns and color. This delightful tale highlights the power of play and the satisfaction of enjoying something forbidden. The simple text gives a sweet, inquisitive voice to the child. The cartoonish style featuring exaggerated facial expressions and body movements reinforces the hyperbolic tone and good-natured humor of the story. Throughout this escapade, there is an underlying tension that the child might get caught as the situation escalates. However, the conclusion shows that pretend play is both empowering and universal. The child has dark brown hair and medium-toned skin; the father has blond hair and light skin.
Timely and familiar, an endlessly charming ode to imagination and enjoying guilty pleasures for the preschool set. (Picture book. 3-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Yoon, Helen: OFF-LIMITS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A677072742/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=95a00092. Accessed 11 Mar. 2022.