TALL BOY'S JOURNEY

By the adoptive mother of a Korean boy (now adult), a realistic account of experiences similar to her son's. Kim Moo Yong is already learning to read when his grandmother dies; his last surviving relative, Uncle Soo Ja, a soldier, is unable to care for the boy himself and reluctantly decides to send him to America: ``...when you are older, you can come back.'' Kraus brings a poignant authenticity to the boy's arrival—there's not only the loneliness of not knowing the language or how to use a fork, but also telling details like being mystified by a teddy bear. His new parents' Korean friend, Mr. Cho, helps them all make the transition, bringing Korean food to share, explaining customs, gently suggesting that `` A boy who has traveled...over different seas, may have more than one home in his heart,'' and- -most important—pointing out that ``You need some children to play with.'' Ritz's sensitive watercolors, on attractively textured paper, reflect the unusually perceptive and detailed portrayal of the first days of a transcultural adoption. (Fiction/Young reader. 7-10)