"When they went back to the beach the next day,
the shell was gone.
"Halmoni," Sora said, "someone took our shell!"
"It wasn't ours. It was a gift," Halmoni said.
Sora didn't agree, but she didn't say anything.
Instead, she decided to hide some seashells
in her pockets when Halmoni wasn't watching."
Halmoni's annual summer visit to Sora and her family is always full of happy anticipation. The first thing they do following her arrival is to take the bus to the beach in search of seashells. Their finds are lovely. Halmoni always chooses one special shell to leave on a bench for someone else to find. The next day, the shell is gone. Sora decides she will not leave a seashell; she hides them in her pocket. When it is time for Halmoni to leave again, Sora has a jar full of found shells.
At kindergarten Sora learns a hard lesson about bullying and her name. A few classmates think she should have a proper name: Sara. She tells no one, and the teasing continues. When Sora learns that her grandmother has died, her sadness is even more overwhelming.
"All the bottled-up tears began flowing. "I want to see Halmoni,"
Sora cried. "And I hate my name. I want to be Sara."
To help ease her pain, her parents take Sora to the beach. Finding an exceptional seashell, her mother reminds Sora of her grandmother's love for these gifts from the sea. Then, she explains to Sora that her name means seashell in Korean. At school, she is now able to share her shells and the reason for her name with all of her classmates.
Done in watercolor and finished digitally, the warmth of the settings shine, as do the emotions felt.
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