Where's Halmoni?

Gentle and humorous, this graphic novel for younger readers is told exclusively through dialogue, sound effects, and visual narrative. Siblings Noona and Joon smell the wafting aroma of (their grandmother) Halmoni's red bean soup, but Halmoni is missing. The pair follows clues to a bedroom closet, which transports them to a magical world featuring characters and imagery from Korean folklore. At this point, hues brighten and the lush scenery resembles a picture from Halmoni's living-room wall. The new surroundings initially confuse the children ("It's outside...should we keep our slippers on?"), but they continue searching. In following chapters, they meet a rabbit and some dokkebi (friendly, mischievous, troll-like creatures), who speak Korean despite the children's limited understanding. ("Do you think it's talking about a fox or a racoon [sic]? Or maybe an angry giant squirrel?" / "I don't know. It's talking way too fast. It's adorable.") Adventures ensue, some fraught with danger, but eventually the children locate Halmoni's soup pot and safely escape back to her bedroom, where she is waiting for them. A close inspection of the home and fantasy settings will reveal overlap in colors, shapes, and characters. A glossary (titled "What did they say?") matches English text to each illustration featuring Korean text, and additional information about the folktale characters and the author's interpretations of them are provided in the back matter (she writes that the characters are "a bit of Korea and America, just like me!"). elisa gall