Shoes Off, Please

When Mina invites friends over, she is embarrassed by the Korean tradition of removing shoes before entering a home until she understands the meaning of the custom.

Mina’s mother is a seamstress who works from home and always keeps the cupboard full of snacks. Her friends like to gather at her house, but Mina hesitates to ask them to remove their shoes before entering. Mina loves most of the Korean traditions that she celebrates with her mother, but this one involves her friends. Why do they have to be different? 

When her mother gently reminds her that traditions connect you to your ancestors and to your past, Mina gathers her friends to explain that she lives in a no-shoes house. To her surprise, Mina finds out that her friends have different customs that they follow at their homes. They are happy to honor Mina’s culture but how will they remember? 

A trip to the laundry with her mother to deliver newly mended clothes, gives Mina a great idea. Now she knows just what to do.

From the author of the highly acclaimed The Paper Kingdom and Rosa’s Song comes a new story based on the author’s own experience growing up and learning about the importance of family traditions.

Helena Ku Rhee is the award-winning author of picture books, including the bestselling The Paper Kingdom named to many year-end Best Books lists, including NPR, BookPage, Kirkus, Parents Magazine and the Los Angeles Public Library, among others. The book was also featured on Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, and ABC – TV. Helena is also the author of Sora’s Seashells, a recipient of the 2024 Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor, as well as Rosa’s Song. Her essays have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and Salon. Helena has lived in various parts of the U.S., Asia and Europe and now makes her home in Los Angeles.

Myo Yim, a Korean author-illustrator living in Australia, has experience as a commercial illustrator in the visual arts, children’s books, and magazines. She has illustrated more than fifteen books including In the Forest of the Night, White Sunday, and Rajah Street. Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Myo now lives in Byron Bay, Australia with her husband and two boys.