LET'S PLAY GONGGI

A childhood game brings confidence and an unlikely friend in this Korean import.

Eunji, who lives in Seoul, enters her classroom only to be greeted as “partner,” to her annoyance, by Jingu, her classmate from the countryside. Eunji borrowed her sister’s dress and, reaching into her pocket, is surprised to find gonggidols, small, colorful stones used to play the Korean game of gonggi. As with jacks, a player throws a stone in the air and must grab the others before catching the thrown stone; each time, the number of stones grabbed increases. Jingu is overjoyed at the discovery, revealing that gonggi is popular in his hometown of Gyeongsang-do. Impressed by his skills, the class plans a gonggi tournament while a jealous Eunji, who doesn’t know how to play, refuses to participate. But Eunji runs into Jingu on her way home, and they share a sweet dalgona. Jingu cleverly persuades Eunji to try gonggi with the enticement of more candy, and eventually she falls in love with the game. The day of competition arrives, and Eunji is slotted in the last pairing while Jingu is mysteriously absent—until the last minute. Bold cartoon illustrations effectively highlight the characters’ emotions amid textured backgrounds and bring the straightforward narrative to a satisfying—and epic—conclusion; readers will be eager to learn more about the game, and the backmatter obliges. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A delightful introduction to a beloved childhood game.