Salina Yoon was born in Korea and now lives in San Diego. I had the opportunity to hear her talk last year at my local Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators meeting. She wowed me. I am so excited to delve into her books more this month and share her with you guys.
Salina Yoon is our pick for February’s 2020 Author Study Challenge. You can of course do an author study at any time and at your own pace, but I’d love for you to join our free challenge!
Also: Get the Preschool Author Study Pack Here!
affiliate links are included below. thanks for supporting My Storytime Corner.
Salina Yoon Author Study
Meet Salina Yoon
Salina Yoon is known for her inventive novelty books, aka being a board book wizard. She has also created delightful characters like Penguin. Her list of published books and resulting awards is astounding.
Some Resources to Get to Know Salina:
- Her Site: SalinaYoon.com
- Interview with Salina Yoon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix7jwhU7Lq0
- Meet the author page: Book Page’s illustrated interview with Salina Yoon
- Post from Salina Yoon on 10 Ways to Empower Kid Reading
Books by Salina Yoon
If you type “Salina Yoon” into your Amazon search bar you will get over 300 results – nine pages worth of books on Barnes and Noble. She has created SO many creative, fun books for kids.
Her website has a list of “recent books” that is impressive all on it’s own and will give you an idea of her range.
Kiki and Jax
This is her recent collaboration with Marie Kondo. You can read more about it in this interview with Salina. Find Online
Darling Stories Full of Heart
Salina Yoon’s picture books are full of friendship and warmth. I love the way they fill you with joy in their quiet, wise, and playful ways.
Be a Friend
This is possibly the best example. Such a sweet but quirky story about friendship and being you. It was on my list of great books to share with kids around Valentine’s Day but it’s truly an every day gem of a book. Find Online
Penguin and Pinecone
This inspired an entire Penguin Storytime last year – click to see full story time post. There is a series of these sweet books about Penguin. We love them all. Find Online
Found
This is another series by Salina Yoon. Bear is the sweetest and his experiences so well mirror the everyday feelings and experiences of young kids. Find Online
Books with an Interactive Element or Novelty Books
Salina Yoon is known for her creative “novelty” books. She has written and designed over 200 books in this category. These are primarily for babies through preschool and they are delightful.
Tap to Play
This is Salina Yoon’s response to PRESS HERE or at least that’s the way it reads to me and if you’re doing this project with older kids this is her best interactive book for older readers. Tons of fun! If you like this one, here is a whole list of our favorite interactive picture books. Find Online
Do Cows Moo?
There is a whole bunch of these cute books. If you have a toddler they are must reads. Eye catching, funny, interactive. Find Online
Pinwheel
This one is a good example of how inventive Salina Yoon is with board books. Find Online
Salina Yoon is truly a board book master so if you have a baby or toddlers I highly recommend perusing her website, your library catalog or a bookstore’s collection of her books. She has one for any topic from animals and trucks to any of the holidays to any learning topic for little ones. She has covered it all.
Also Read: Place to Start if You Want to Expand Your Bookshelves to Include More People of Color
Activities based on Books by Salina Yoon
There are definitely many ways you could go with Salina Yoon’s diverse collection of books and characters and themes. Here are some ideas to get you started.
General Author Study Ideas
- You Can Download and Use This Pack for Any Author Study: Get the Preschool Author Study Pack Here!
Literacy
- Compare and Contrast two characters. For example, how are Bear and Penguin similar? How are they different?
- Work on comprehension with sequencing Penguin and Pinecone events. See Salina Yoon’s educator’s guide for details.
- Do a creative writing exercise inspired by Penguin and Pinecone. List animals. List random items. Then cut them up and draw one of each at random. Write a story. What would happen if ANIMAL met OBJECT? For younger kids, create the story orally together. For older kids, brainstorm ideas and then have their write their own stories.
- Learn about signage after reading FOUND. Share pictures of common signs (stop. restroom. etc). Go for a sign scavenger hunt. Make your own signs.
Math
- Penguin DIY Math Puzzles and other Penguin and Pinecone extensions from The Preschool Toolbox
Science
- Explore the senses inspired by Penguin and Pinecone. See Salina Yoon’s educator’s guide for details.
- Compare and Contrast Penguin and Pinecone’s environments. See Salina Yoon’s educator’s guide for details.
Culminating Projects
This is optional, but traditionally projects like this end with some culminating or concluding project. These vary but summarize what you’ve learned or what you love the most about the topic – Salina Yoon in this case.
One Idea to Get Your Started:
- Explore the interactive elements in her books. I think this would be fun to do with older kids. Read a stack of her inventive board books, not for the books itself but for the engineering and creativity that go into her board book creation. Then ask, how can they make a presentation more interactive? Whether it’s their science project on forces or biography of Salina Yoon or whatever else they’re working on. How can they incorporate at least one of the elements Yoon has used to make their display or report or presentation more interactive and fun.
Subscribe Below for Weekly Bookish Ideas
