A Secret Box

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The harmonization of writings and paintings depict the pain of a family make up of a grandmother and a granddaughter.

Many people hold dear their secret box where they put all their treasures during childhood. This picture book depicts Yeon with a secret box containing a pair of rubber shoes, the kind that were traditionally used by grandmothers in Korea. Though the shoes were worn, she treasures them and keeps them to herself, thinking this will keep her grandmother by her side. Since her mother left her at an early age, Yeon longs for her grandmother to live with her the rest of her life.
Overcoming the trauma of her mother leaving, readers understand this grief because of how much she wishes for her grandma to never leave her and to keep on loving her.
Furthermore, the illustrations exemplify this story through the images of Yeon together with her grandma, with Yeon holding on to grandma’s rubber shoes.