Line #22 Literature/Yoko


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/61el6hr8wxl.jpg]]
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3	''Yoko'' is a children's book published in 1998 by Creator/RosemaryWells. The book stars a Japanese-American kitten named Yoko who is getting ready for her first day of school. Unfortunately, her first day at school doesn't turn out so well when she gets teased by the other students for her lunch: sushi.
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5	This is also the first book for Rosemary Well's ''Yoko Series'' and the titular character would later be the star of another book series called ''Yoko & Friends'' and would later be featured in the 2000 {{Creator/Nelvana}} AnimatedAdaptation of ''WesternAnimation/TimothyGoesToSchool'' which also adapts the story and the other books featuring the characters in the show.
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7	!!The book contains examples of the following tropes:
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9	* AffectionateNickname: Yoko's mother calls her "my little cherry blossom."
10	* AnAesop: It has an anti-racism Aesop and an Aesop about accepting others' cultures.
11	* AudioAdaptation: The book was given an audio cassette by Scholastic in 1999 that was narrated by Vivian Bayubay.
12	* BarefootCartoonAnimal: Yoko wears a dress and no shoes.
13	* BreakTheCutie: After Yoko gets teased for having sushi for lunch, Miss Jenkins finds Yoko crying alone after class.
14	* TheBusCameBack: This book marks the second appearance of Timothy from ''Literature/TimothyGoesToSchool'' along with Doris and Hazel from "Hazel's Amazing Mother".
15	* CharacterTitle: The book is called "Yoko" after the titular kitten. Also used in the episode based on this book.
16	* CuteKitten: The book's main protagonist is a Japanese-American kitten, who is downright adorable and friendly with others.
17	* CultureClash: A major theme in the book, the students of Hilltop School mock Yoko for eating sushi saying it's disgusting and gross. The only student who accepts Yoko and her Japanese lifestyle is Timothy who even trades lunches with her by the end of the book.
18	* {{Dedication}}: Rosemary Wells dedicated this book to Junko Yokota.
19	* DistaffCounterpart: Yoko is basically a cat version of Timothy except she's Japanese.
20	* FirstDayOfSchoolEpisode: Yoko is introduced as a new student.
21	* ForeignQueasine: Deconstructed. The classmates think Yoko's sushi is gross because it contains raw fish, but this ends up hurting her feelings.
22	* FunnyAnimal: The characters are anthropomorphic animals.
23	* IDoNotLikeGreenEggsAndHam: The main reason why the students dislike her sushi is that they've never had it before. Timothy is the only student that actually enjoys Yoko's sushi and doesn't tease.
24	* InnocentBigot: Yoko's classmates weren't intending to be racist; they just thought her food was weird and didn't realize that it was normal where she came from.
25	* OneWordTitle: ''Yoko''.
26	* PrejudiceAesop: The moral is to accept food from other cultures.
27	* {{Pun}}: At one point, the Franks bring ''franks'' and beans to school.
28	* StockAnimalDiet: Played with. Yoko is a cat and eats fish, but she eats sushi rather than unprocessed fish and it's more because she's Japanese than because she's a cat. Similarly, the Franks are dogs and they eat sausages, but they eat them with beans and they were bringing them as something new.
29	* TastesLikeFriendship: Yoko and Timothy start becoming friends when he is the only one of her classmates who wants to try her sushi.

Context Literature / Yoko