SHOES OFF, PLEASE

A child finds a way to make her friends understand the importance of a family rule.

While Mina’s pals enjoy coming over to her apartment for snacks, they don’t love her family’s shoes-off rule. Mina decides to avoid confrontation and opts to say nothing when everyone wears their shoes inside. Later, as Mina and her seamstress mother clean the shoe prints off the floor, she asks, “Mama, can we just wear shoes inside? None of my friends have a shoes-off rule at home.” Her mother responds with empathy but urges Mina to think about the practice as a way of expressing respect for their ancestors, their home, and each other. After some reflection and a little collaboration, Mina comes up with a creative way to help her friends follow the rule while also learning about their customs. With sweetness, this story conveys how difficult it can be to maintain cultural traditions, especially when the pressure to assimilate comes from well-meaning friends. Still, these customs connect us to our past, and, as Mina finds, they can also be a way to honor those we love. Yim’s pastel and pencil artwork captures Mina’s compact apartment and vibrant community with coziness and warmth. Mina and her mother have tan skin and black hair; other characters are diverse.

A gentle exploration of cultural traditions.