About the Holiday

Seashells are natural wonders! Curved and fluted, bleached and delicately hued, shells provide homes, create pearls, house culinary delicacies, inspire crafts—and if you hold a conch shell to your ear, you can hear the ocean’s song.  National Seashell Day was established in 2016 by the beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel in southwest Florida to commemorate the amazing presence of seashells in the area. But you don’t have to live in Florida to find or appreciate beautiful shells or celebrate the holiday. If you live near a beach, take a trip to walk along the shore and find some treasures. And anyone can become a armchair beachcomber by checking out some books or websites about seashells. Today’s book reveals just what a gift seashells—and children—are.

Thanks to Candlewick and Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media for sharing Sora’s Seashells with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Sora’s Seashells: A Name is a Gift to be Treasured

Written by Helena Ku Rhee | Illustrated by Stella Lim and Ji-Hyuk Kim

Every summer, Sora’s grandmother came to visit. The first thing Sora and Halmoni did together was go to the beach to look for seashells. They found all types and sizes of shells, but “Halmoni chose the prettiest shell and tucked it into her pocket.” Then as they left the beach, Halmoni left the shell on a bench. When Sora asked why they couldn’t take it home, Halmoni told her, “‘It’s a gift for anyone who sees its beauty.'” Sora wanted to take the shell, but she got on the bus without it.

When they went to the beach the next day, Sora was sad to see that “their” shell was gone. But Halmoni reminded Sora that it didn’t belong to them, that it was a gift. As she and Halmoni combed the beach for shells, Sora hid pretty shells in her pocket, and when she got home she put them in a jar. By the time Halmoni’s visit was over, Sora’s jar was full.

Image copyright Stella Lim with Ji-Hyuk Kim, 2023; text copyright Helena Ku Rhee, 2023. Courtesy of Candlewick.

At the end of summer, Sora began kindergarten. While most of the kids were nice, a few made fun of her name. They called it “weird” and asked if it wasn’t really “Sara.” Their taunting gave her a stomachache. Sora never told her parents, and the teasing continued. Then one day the family got news that Halmoni had died. As Sora’s parents told her, she “thought of all the summers ahead without her grandmother” and how “she would say her name, with a soft s and a gently rolled r.” Suddenly all of Sora’s pent up emotions flowed out. Crying, Sora said, “‘I want to see Halmoni. And I hate my name. I want to be Sara!”

To take comfort Sora and her parents drove out to the beach. As they walked along the shore, Sora’s mother picked up a beautiful pink shell—just the type that Sora loved—and held it in her hands. She told her daughter that “‘Sora means “seashell” in Korean'” and repeated Halmoni’s belief that “‘finding a perfect shell is like receiving a wonderful gift.'” It was Halmoni who had suggested the name Sora. Then Sora’s parents hugged her and said, “‘You’re our greatest gift, Sora.'”

Image copyright Stella Lim with Ji-Hyuk Kim, 2023; text copyright Helena Ku Rhee, 2023. Courtesy of Candlewick.

The next week for show-and-tell, Sora brought her jar of seashells and told the class the meaning of her name. She then handed a shell to her teacher and to her friends. Then she came to the kids who teased her. She gave each of them a shell too. One boy said her name made sense now; another told her Sora sounded like a superhero. Sora was surprised. She smiled and said, “‘Thanks.'” When she returned to her seat, she felt like she was soaring. 

After school, Sora went back to the beach with her parents. She had one shell left in her jar. She took it out and placed it on the bench—a “gift for anyone who could see its beauty.”

Image copyright Stella Lim with Ji-Hyuk Kim, 2023; text copyright Helena Ku Rhee, 2023. Courtesy of Candlewick.

Helena Ku Rhee’s heartwarming, multilayered story introduces readers to themes of family, kindness, loss, belonging, and the power of looking for beauty in the people and things around us as her gentle and straightforward storytelling wraps readers in the love Halmoni and Sora share. Sora’s journey throughout the story is profound, condensing what can be a lifetime of experiences and lessons into an impactful message on kindness and a simple truth that everyone and everything contains beauty waiting to be discovered. Ku Rhee also reminds children and adults alike that open communication is the key to understanding and appreciating others.

Stella Lim’s watercolor and digital illustrations, based on sketches by Ji-Hyuk Kim, set the tone of Sora and Halmoni’s tender relationship with soft colors, wide ocean vistas, and quiet scenes at home. In contrast, the school room’s yellow walls and lime green rug, scattered play areas and supplies, and teasing boys seems to mirror the turmoil in Sora’s mind and heart. After she presents her show-and-tell, however, the greens and yellows are more muted, the children calm. Likewise, elsewhere in the story, Lim employs shadowing and light and dark shades to represent Sora’s emotions. 

A standout story that will resonate with readers—children and adults—and provide many opportunities for discussion, Sora’s Seashells is highly recommended for home bookshelves and is a must for all classroom, school, and public library collections. 

Ages 4 – 8

Candlewick, 2023 | ISBN 978-1536209938

About the Author

Helena Ku Rhee grew up in Los Angeles and has lived in various parts of the United States, Asia, and Europe. She is the author of the picture books Rosa’s Song and The Paper Kingdom, both illustrated by Pascal Campion, and The Turtle Ship, illustrated by Colleen Kong-Savage. Helena Ku Rhee currently lives in Los Angeles.

About the Illustrators

Stella Lim studied fine art and graduated from Kingston University. She based her work for Sora’s Seashells on sketches from Ji-Hyuk Kim. Stella Lim lives with her family in Seoul, South Korea.

Ji-Hyuk Kim is the illustrator of the New York Times bestseller Through Your Eyes: My Child’s Gift to Me by Ainsley Earhardt as well as many book jackets and covers. Ji-Hyuk Kim lives in South Korea.

National Seashell Day Activities

Gather Seashells Board Game

Beachcombers love to find different kinds of shells! You don’t need to take a trip to the shore to fill this game board beach with shells! Grab your friends, siblings, or the whole family and start collecting!

Supplies

• Seashell Game Cards
• Beach Scene Game Board
• Pair of playing dice

Directions

• Print Seashell Game Cards
• Cut the shells from the cards so they will fit on the Beach Game Board
• Assign a roll of the dice (2 through 8) to each shell, ex. Roll a 6 and pick up the sand dollar 
• Choose someone to go first and take turns rolling the die to collect shells for your Beach Scene Game Board
• The first person to fill their beach with shells is the winner

Seashell Matching Game

With this game you can match two, three, or even more shells to test your memory!

Directions

• Print two or more Seashell Game Card sheets
• Cut the cards apart
• Place them face down on the table and shuffle
• Turn one card over then choose another to try to find a match. If unsuccessful turn them both over and try again until you’ve found matches for all the shells

You can find Sora’s Seashells at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop

Picture Book Review