Wish Soup: A Celebration of Seollal

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.)