Review by Booklist Review
Sohee is very excited about celebrating Seollal. For one, she'll get to eat tteokguk, one of her favorite dishes. The more tteokguk she eats, the more grown up she'll be, and being a big girl, or an eonni, is the most important thing. Establishing her older-sister status over little Somi is the goal, and time is of the essence. Sohee slices the white rice cakes and simmers them in the broth with the scallions, beef, eggs, and seaweed and is all ready to enjoy the fruits of her labors when her mother calls on her to set the table. The tteokguk must wait. Everytime Sohee tries to get back to her bowl, someone else calls her away, and by the time she gets back to her soup, Somi has eaten it all. Poor Sohee is distraught. It takes some wise and comforting words from her mother for Sohee to come to an important realization. This charming book invites readers into Seollal traditions with a quirky plot, cute illustrations, and a recipe for tteokguk.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
On Seollal, young Sohee looks forward to becoming a "real eonni," or "big girl"--and being too cool to hang out with younger cousins and little sister Somi. It's Seollal tradition to "bow to the elders in our family, fill fortune pockets with gifts of money and wisdom, and--my favorite--eat tteokguk"--a rice cake soup that renders everyone "one year older for every bowl we eat!" Intent on securing older-sibling status, Sohee prepares to eat her tteokguk. But each time she goes to take a bite, a holiday chore interrupts, and before long, Sohee finds her bowl all eaten up. Across expressive digitally finished watercolor, colored pencil, and oil pastel spreads, Park's solo debut guides readers through the celebration's traditions until, Mom's gentle consolation--and an extra bowl of tteokguk--reassures Sohee that she's a real eonni after all. A tteokguk recipe concludes. Ages 4--8. (Dec.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--Sohee is excited for this Seollal, because she'll be a big girl and too cool to hang out with her younger sister. While multiple traditions of the Lunar New Year holiday are discussed, Sohee focuses on tteokguk--a delicious soup that, according to her grandfather, makes you a year older for every bowl you eat. So Sohee must eat more than her sister! After preparing the soup, she can't wait for her first bite; but she is called away to help set the table, invite everyone to eat, and then help her younger brother. When she finally returns, her younger sister has eaten her soup, and everyone else's, too! Does that make her sister the big girl now? Luckily her mother has an extra bowl and reassures her that her actions, not the soup, are what make her a big girl. Humor is conveyed through Park's watercolor illustrations, especially when Sohee's young sister is depicted with a larger-than-life mouth, dumping in bowl after bowl of soup. Sohee and her family are Korean. Back matter includes a recipe for tteokguk. VERDICT A fun story focusing on sibling holiday high jinks. Recommended for all holiday collections.--Jennifer Rothschild
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young Korean girl is excited for Korean New Year, only to get caught up in the chaos of the preparations. It is Seollal, and Sohee is thrilled that this year, she'll become an eonni, or older sister, which means she's old enough to stop hanging out with her younger sister, Somi, and baby cousins and can instead help the adults get ready for the celebration. After the children bow to the elders and receive gifts "of money and wisdom," everyone is given a bowl of tteokguk--as Sohee's harabeoji says, "We get one year older for every bowl we eat!" Sohee is determined to eat her bowl of tteokguk to cement the fact that she's a year older than Somi, but Sohee is called away to set the table. A pattern is thus established: Each time Sohee is about to eat her tteokguk, she's assigned another task. Meanwhile, Somi has consumed every bowl of tteokguk on the table, boasting that she's now "the biggest girl in the family!" Sohee's despair when her tteokguk is gone is quickly alleviated when her mother reveals one last bowl and tells Sohee that she's already a big girl who's taken on more responsibility. Park's textured lines and colors, as well as the characters' exaggerated expressions, marry perfectly with the simple narration, evoking a sense of childlike charm and innocence. A delectable and endearing celebration. (recipe for tteokguk) (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
