Toto

Ages 4 to 8, Grades P to 3

A little girl is self-conscious about the birthmark on her forehead— until a new friend helps her see it in a whole new light.

This little girl doesn’t mind her birthmark, most of the time. She calls it Toto, and her mom calls it a kiss from an angel. But sometimes, it feels like people look so hard at Toto they forget to see her. So when it’s time to start school, her mom cuts her bangs to cover Toto up, at least for a little while.

At school, she makes a new best friend right away! But then Toto accidentally comes out of hiding. Will her new friend see her differently with Toto in the picture? And does different have to be bad? 

Award-winning creator Hyewon Yum’s knack for the adorable is at full power in Toto. This warm and vulnerable story grapples with the pressure we feel to blend in, and celebrates the moments—and the friends—that remind us how much better it is to be our full and singular selves.

About the Author

Hyewon Yum is the author and illustrator of several acclaimed books for children. Her titles include This Is Our House, The Twins' Blanket, There Are No Scary Wolves, Last Night, winner of an Honorable Mention Bologna Ragazzi Award and an SCBWI Golden Kite Award, and Mom, It's My First Day of Kindergarten!, which received the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award. She is also the illustrator of Maya Myers’s Not Little and Not Perfect. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.

Author Residence: Brooklyn, NY