picture books

[briny review] A Spoonful of the Sea by Hyewon Yum

~ jama ~ 9 Comments

There’s nothing more nourishing or restorative than a bowl of homemade soup, especially when your mother makes it. 🙂

If we had a cool rainy day, if someone was feeling under the weather, or whenever she just felt like it, my mom made Korean miyeok-guk (seaweed soup). Though she cooked many delicious dishes, this soup was easily the most comforting and I always loved devouring my fair share.

But for all those years of eating miyeok-guk while growing up, I only recently learned about its cultural significance thanks to Hyewon Yum’s touching new picture book, A Spoonful of the Sea (Norton Young Readers, 2025).

I didn’t know that in Korea, miyeok-guk is a traditional birthday soup honoring and celebrating mothers, and that this custom dates back more than a thousand years! Referencing Jeju Island’s revered haenyeo (female free divers), Yum has lovingly created an inspiring tale of family history and heritage told through a matriarchal lens.

As the story opens, a girl is given a bowl of her mother’s seaweed soup on her birthday. Disappointed it’s not the strawberry cake or chocolate cupcakes she actually wanted, she pouts over the briny-smelling soup that “looks like sea water.” But while she’s stirring it, her mom explains why the soup is so special.

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in honor of teachers

~ jama ~ 34 Comments

“Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” ~ Japanese proverb

Hooray for September and a brand new school year!

As a grade school student, I loved having new clothes, fresh school supplies, putting covers on assigned textbooks, making sure my quarter for lunch was safely stashed in my coin purse. I could hardly wait to open my spiral notebook and write on a clean page with a freshly-sharpened No. 2 pencil.

Most of all, I looked forward to meeting my new teacher.

Reading The Teachers I Loved Best by Taylor Mali and Erica Root (Doubleday BFYR, 2023) brought to mind my own favorites, making me appreciate them even more.

In his uplifting rhyming ode, Mali celebrates the extra-special, dedicated educators (classroom teachers, principals, librarians) who leave a lasting impression on all of us. “A great teacher is anyone who makes you work hard — harder than you ever thought you could — who makes you want to be better than just . . . plain . . . good.”

He goes on to laud their willingness to go above and beyond to bring out the best in their students, whether coaching from the sidelines to instill confidence, gently pushing to keep them on track, or being demanding “with the goal of commanding understanding.” The teachers he truly loved most were the ones who challenged and inspired him to give his all every single day.

He mentions his science teacher, who had the class dramatize the way the solar system worked, an art teacher he madly loved who dressed in “white paint-splattered smocks all of the time,” and every music teacher he ever had who encouraged him despite his bad, off-key singing voice.

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nine cool things on a tuesday

~ jama ~ 17 Comments

“Happily we bask in this warm September sun, which illuminates all creatures.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

1. Happy September! We’re happy to be back in anticipation of a beautiful Fall, and what better way to celebrate than to bask in UK artist Jenny Jones’s gorgeous art! 🙂

Are you up for a little apple picking, cuddling with comely farm animals, sipping tea in the garden? I was drawn to Jenny’s work immediately for her loving depictions of British rural life and simpler, gentler times.

She’s currently based in Bishop’s Castle, a small market town in SW Shropshire, England, known for its thriving artist community. She studied painting in Florence and at Shrewsbury and Farm Art Schools, has won prizes for her work, and has participated in many group and solo exhibitions. She’s also illustrated a number of children’s books. 🙂

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[yummy review] Fridays are for Churros by Jenny Alvarado

~ jama ~ 6 Comments

Hungry? Can you smell the heavenly aroma of fried sweet dough dipped in cinnamon sugar? Now that you’re here, please help yourself to some warm apple-filled churros — dip yours in chocolate if you wish, and enjoy!

These crisp-on-the-outside, airy-light-on-the-inside snacks are featured in the delectable new picture book, Fridays are for Churros by Jenny Alvarado (Holiday House, 2025). Celebrating food, family, and community, this fun story warms the heart, showing how good neighbors can help renew cherished traditions and strangers can become friends.

We first learn that Emi and her Papi make churros for their entire family every Friday. Emi gathers ingredients while Papi pours oil into the pot. Together, they make the dough and fill the pastry bag. Then with a Plop, Fizz, and Sprinkle, the churros are ready, its sweet scent swirling throughout the house as the familia arrive. How they chatter and laugh! Emi loves this feeling of ‘home.’

But then Emi and Papi must move to a big city for Papi’s new job. Such a busy place full of people, but no familiar faces, and on Fridays, no churros. Papi is usually too busy working.

One day as they arrive at their apartment, Emi and Papi see and then greet their new neighbor Señora Luisa. A sweet scent swoops out from her open door, reminding Emi of the caramel she and Papi used to dip their churros in. This gives Emi an idea. She would make the churros herself!

After checking the recipe, Emi realizes she doesn’t have enough flour and sugar, and can’t find the piping tip. Could she borrow these things from Señora Luisa? Her neighbor is happy to help; she has farina but no sugar or piping tip. She suggests Emi ask Tomas in 212.

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nine cool things on a tuesday

~ jama ~ 10 Comments

1. Happy June! Care to rest in the shade of a friendly tree? We can watch this loving mother, baby, and happy ducks while being soothed by the gentle trickle of the stream.

This relaxing scene was created by Maryland artist-illustrator Elisabeth (“Lis”) Dorrian — a nice way to anticipate the coming of summer, with its slow, drowsy days conducive to daydreaming and enjoying the outdoors. Lis is self taught, has been drawing since childhood, and works in gouache, acrylics, and digitally for her folk art style pieces.

Becoming a mother inspired me to revisit my passion for drawing after 14 years in the Coast Guard. Watching a child grow makes you realize how quickly time passes. Today, my illustrations are largely inspired by simple living, the changing seasons, motherhood…. I hope my illustrations inspire viewers to slow down and take notice of the ‘little daily miracles,’ as Virginia Woolf calls them, like lighting a candle for dinner or feeling the weight of a sleeping child on your chest.

Love her use of soft colors and the feeling of nostalgia. Since she’s moved around a lot with the Coast Guard and has had to adjust to many new places, perhaps she’s been instinctively creating a sense of home in her pictures — a place of calm, comfort and safety.

Learn more about Lis’s work at her Official Website, Instagram and Etsy Shop, where you can purchase signed and dated archival prints in various sizes.

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