My First Seaweed Soup: A Journey to Find the Pieces of Memory Seaweed soup has long been a symbol of celebration on birthdays, holding a special place in our lives. A bowl of seaweed soup, made with care, can convey warm congratulations or provide deep comfort at times. "My First Seaweed Soup" is a picture book that invites us to view this familiar dish from a new perspective. It delicately revisits the fact that seaweed soup is not just a birthday food, but a dish passed down to celebrate the birth of life and to care for those who have given birth. The story recounts an ancient tale of a haenyeo (female diver) who, while pregnant, began to cook seaweed soup after witnessing a whale eating seaweed. This brings to mind the enduring spirit of care that continues to this day. A bowl of seaweed soup, originating from a mother's vast heart, contains not only blessings for the newborn but also deep love and care for the one who has given birth. A Warm Food of Love Connecting Generations "Moms, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers all gave birth and ate seaweed soup..." Following the memories of a bowl of seaweed soup drawn from the lives of haenyeo, we quietly encounter the love of a mother who nurtured her child. At the moment a child first meets the world, the mother nourished her body and soul with seaweed soup. This memory has traveled through time to our birthday tables today. "My First Seaweed Soup" warmly portrays the love that flows from mother to daughter and then to the next generation. The image of a mother who goes to great lengths to find the best seaweed for her daughter and the hands that cook seaweed soup from dawn are filled with love and tenderness that words cannot fully express. This picture book is deeply imbued with the hearts that have cared for and cherished each other across generations. A Genuine Heartfelt Work by Author Yeom Hye-won Yeom Hye-won, who lovingly conveyed the courage to embrace oneself in "Today, I Feel Like Toto," gently touches readers' hearts once again with her new work, "My First Seaweed Soup." Having received the Bologna Ragazzi Award and the Ezra Jack Keats Award, the author has been beloved by readers worldwide with each of her works. In this picture book, she delicately unravels the love and care passed down through generations between mothers and daughters through the familiar dish of seaweed soup. This story began from the author's own memories. It is said that her experience of her mother bringing long seaweed from Korea to the U.S. and cooking seaweed soup for her throughout the month after her birth became the starting point of the work. Because the story is rooted in real memories and emotions, it resonates even more deeply. The author naturally weaves in the ancient tales of haenyeo and seaweed soup, adding a warm sense of reality along with the gentle imagination unique to picture books.