When Yu-Rhee is told it’s time to go to bed, she is curious how her mother knows. Her mother shares a Korean zodiac animal story from her own childhood based on the traditional Korean practice of telling time. Yu-Rhee searches high in the mountains for a healing plant, doraji. The mountain asks the animals to help Yu-Rhee with the search, but they are too busy with their hourly routines. Only after seeing the child struggle do the animals begin working together and help her on the journey. The only background information about the relationship between time and the animals is a diagram in the end matter showing the 12 animals with their placement on a 24-hour clock. This book lends itself to discussions about perseverance, determination, time, and sequences, and further research into animals of the Sibijisin. | Both the author and illustrator are of Korean ancestry.

32 pp., 8.75 × 10.75", colour illustrations

Source: Association of Book Publishers of BC - BC Books for Schools (2021-2022)

Originally from South Korea, Ann Y.K. Choi immigrated to Canada in 1975. She is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers and the Creative Writing Certificate Program at the University of Toronto. Most recently, she completed an MFA in Creative Writing at National University in San Diego, California. Her debut novel, Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety, was a finalist for the Toronto Book Award. The story, set in the 1980s, was inspired by her experiences working in her family-run variety store. A teacher with the York Region District School Board, Ann lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter.

Ann Yu-Kyung Choi's profile page

Soyeon Kim is a Korean-born artist and educator currently living in Toronto. She is a graduate of the Visual Arts and Education programs at York University and has participated in artist residences at the Hermitage (St. Petersburg, Russia), Spark Box Studios (Picton, Ontario) and the Toronto Public Library. She has illustrated a number of children's picture books, including Once Upon an Hour, You Are Stardust, Wild Ideas, Is This Panama?, Sukaq and the Raven, You Are Never Alone and A Last Goodbye. Soyeon won the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award in 2013.

Soyeon Kim's profile page

• Commended, BC Books for BC Schools

“A curious premise with captivating illustrations.”

Kirkus Reviews

“Illustrations which are inexplicably special…The timeless and universal message of helping others will resonate with listeners of this story whether young or old. This book needs to be part of an elementary school library as well as pre-school and home libraries. By using animals who are active at different times of the day to teach the concept of time, this folktale is especially memorable as well as useful.”

Must Read Literature

“The repetitive text here is soothing in cadence...Pleasing colours, and the winsome expressions on the face of the hopeful child make readers sympathetic to the situation.”

CM: Canadian Review of Materials