The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story

by Tina M. Cho, Jess X. Snow (Illustrator)

A breathtaking picture book featuring a Korean girl and her haenyeo (free diving) grandmother about intergenerational bonds, finding courage in the face of fear, and connecting with our natural world.

Dayeon wants to be a haenyeo just like Grandma. The haenyeo dive off the coast of Jeju Island to pluck treasures from the sea--generations of Korean women have done so for centuries. To Dayeon, the haenyeo are as strong and graceful as mermaids. To give her strength, Dayeon eats Grandma's abalone porridge. She practices holding her breath while they do the dishes. And when Grandma suits up for her next dive, Dayeon grabs her suit, flippers, and goggles. A scary memory of the sea keeps Dayeon clinging to the shore, but with Grandma's guidance, Dayeon comes to appreciate the ocean's many gifts.

Tina Cho's The Ocean Calls , with luminous illustrations by muralist Jess X. Snow, is a classic in the making.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Nature, Cultural, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

48 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2020

About the author

Tina M. Cho is also known as Tina Cho.

Tina Cho is the author of Rice from Heaven: The Secret Mission to Feed North Koreans (Little Bee Books 2018), Korean Celebrations (Tuttle 2019), My Breakfast with Jesus: Worshipping God around the World (Harvest House 2020), The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story (Kokila/Penguin Random House 2020), God’s Little Astronomer (Waterbrook 2024), God’s Little Oceanographer 2025, & The Princess & the Grain of Rice (FSG 2025). Her lyrical middle grade graphic novel, The Other Side of Tomorrow, debuts from Harper Alley 11/12/2024. After living in South Korea for ten years, Tina, her husband, and two kids reside in Iowa where Tina also teaches kindergarten.

Reviews

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got quite the nice haul of books for my birthday. :D



And since this one here can easily be read in half an hour and the weather doesn’t comply with my wishes today, I thought, yeah, let’s take a dive into the sea.

So, this is what the dust jacket says:

Tina Cho’s The Ocean Calls, with luminous illustrations by muralist Jess X. Snow, is a breathtaking celebration of intergenerational bonds, our connection to our natural world, and finding courage in the face of fear with the help of your family.

Sounds like a nice present to get from your mother, doesn’t it?

It’s the story of a little girl that, like her grandmother, wants to become a haenyeo. Haenyeo are Korean women that dive off the coast of Jeju Island and make a living by hunting for octopuses, sea cucumbers, abalone, seaweed, turban snails, sea urchins, etc. They have a strong community and long-lasting tradition – and a pretty hard job. Their bodies somewhat adapted to a life spent in huge parts in the sea. They dive up to 65 feet deep and can hold their breath for up to three or four minutes. It was interesting to read up on them.

While Dayeon sees her grandmother as some kind of mermaid and wishes to be able to do the things she does, she also has had a bad experience with the sea and this story is about overcoming her fears, which her granny ultimately helps her to do.

It’s a nice story, but I liked the artwork even better.



Jess X. Snow’s drawings have a certain calmness to them but are often also very sweet. They have a sort of understated beauty, that is paired with vibrant coloring. It’s a nice contrast that works beautifully. I think the artwork is gorgeous.

Thank you for that nice present, mom. :)

[CW ✨]

Oh this is GORGEOUS! And such a sweet and homely picture book about hanyeo (Korean free divers who are mostly women!)!
I loved how sweet and soft this picture book is, and how it centers on a young girl's relationship with her grandmother and the sea. Paired with beautiful illustrations by Jess X Snow, I loved that this book transports you to the seaside village and shows you the bravery and spirit of hanyeo and the beauty of the sea.

Perfect for young readers and explores facing your fears, the beauty of nature, and how history and youth can come together.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story with wonderful illustrations that feel very immersive (and I loved the little nods to mermaids throughout). I love stories that feature people of advanced age living vibrantly and these women (some in the 80s!) certainly do as they dive, some as deep as twenty meters (without any breathing apparatus!) for abalone and other sea creatures following the haenyeo tradition. I appreciate the bond between the grandmother and granddaughter here, the sharing of tradition. Highly recommend.

[Lata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous artwork for a story about an amazing Korean grandmother, who’s also a longtime diver, and her granddaughter, who’s wanting to be like her elder.
The divers are bloody amazing, and have a long history of working with the ocean, and have developed a strong community amongst themselves for support.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone raved about this book, so I went into it with high expectations. The story just felt overlong and not very structured--just sort of meandering. The back matter did an impressive job explaining this story's historical significance, which redeemed my overall impression of the book.

[Elizabeth Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t know about these women but I glad I am now.

[Maureen Caupp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and beautifully illustrated. I was intrigued when I saw this book because I loved The Island of Sea Women. Great to see that they have a book about the Haenyeo lifestyle for children.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haenyeo are ' "sea women") are female divers in the Korean province of Jeju. whose livelihood consists of harvesting a variety of mollusks, seaweed, and other sea life from the ocean.'

This picture book shares a girl's wish to follow her grandmother's profession. She takes her first dive.

Backmatter includes accounts from Haenyeo.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dayeon wants to be a haenyo like her grandmother someday-- a skillful diver that hunts for mollusks and other gifts from the sea. However, she's a bit frightened of what lies below the waves; there's sharks and other strange creatures swimming down there. Working together, Dayeon's grandma shows her the beauty of what the ocean has to offer them, and how to keep calm as they dive. Sweet, beautiful, and inspiring, The Ocean Calls shares a historical tradition that spans generations.

[Adriana Martinez Figueroa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A transporting picture book about a Korean haenyeo and her granddaughter and their relationship to the sea. As you read, you truly start to feel like you're taking deep breaths and plunging into the sea with Dayeon and Grandma. The topic of haenyeo wasn't something I was familiar with and I enjoyed learning about it through this medium! The art stays within a cold palette of blues and purples with the occasional orange, making the illustrations feel homey. As someone who lives near the ocean (albeit a different one), I truly felt the call of the sea as well as its overwhelming expanse that strikes fear in the hearts of many. I hope to continue researching haenyeo and their work!
Thanks to Edelweiss and Kokila for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy!

[Abby Johnson]

Color splashes every page of this vibrant picture book about a young Korean girl and her grandmother who is a haenyeo - a diver hunting for food and treasure on the sea floor. Dayeon dreams of following in her grandmother's fins and becoming a "mermaid" diver, but she's afraid of what might happen to her in the water. In the story, her grandmother helps her face her fears and complete her first dive. An author's note gives more information about the real haenyeo - Korean women who dive about 20 days a month to catch sea urchin, octopuses, and other sea life to sell. Hand this to young marine biologists.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating look at haenyeo through the relationship of a young girl and her Grandma! I especially liked the reference to mermaids due to the relationship with the sea. The back matter shares more about this practice, so don't miss the extra reading!

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

i've been doing a DEEP DIVE learning about haenyeo lately.,.. this was illustrated by jess x snow whom i love and whose pictures are so warm and detailed!! the author includes historical context / excerpts from divers at the end which makes me wonder how much ethnographic / oral history went into the research and preparation for writing this book. children's books are underrated

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

GORGEOUS ILLUSTRATIONS, WONDERFUL STORY 😍😍

It's about a young girl who wants to be a Haenyeo (Hangul: 해녀; lit. "sea women") just like her grandma.

As the girl finds her courage to dive into the deep water, the colors begin to pop and realllyyyy got you at "omg" 😍😍🥰🥰

Ps. If you want to read more about haenyeo, you can read The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dayeon wants to become a haenyeo like her grandma. Her grandma teaches her how to become a haenyeo, women who dive off the coast to get treasures from the sea, showing her the technique, practicing holding her breath, and teaching her the dangers.

Beautiful sea colors.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dayeon wants to be like her grandmother, but a scary memory of the sea makes her fearful. With Grandma’s coaching and encouragement, Dayeon takes the plunge - and her first step to becoming a haenyeo. A story about family, tradition, and courage. Fascinating back matter. The art is stunning.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting subject but not an engaging book. Wordy and dull. The art looks good when looking at one page, but it looks too similar from page to page.

[Phobean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely, vibrant color and texture. The story of a granddaughter afraid of the ocean (whose grandmother is a mermaid) felt a bit contrived, but I can forgive that for all the story's warmth.

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated story about a young Korean girl who wants to brave the deep dark ocean to become a Haenyeo like her grandmother!

[Shari (Shira) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book story of the Haenyeo divers, a culture of Korean women divers. This story is told in greater detail in novel THE ISLAND OF THE SEA WOMEN by Lisa See. In this book, a grandmother is helping her granddaughter overcome her fears and continue the tradition of Haenyeo.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tribute to the Korean women divers. A little girl wants to become a haenyeo like her grandmother, but first she must overcome her fear of the ocean.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since hearing about the haenyeo divers of Jeju Island, South Korea, I have longed to learn more. Maybe that was asking too much from a picture book. Dayeon learns not only how to dive, but she learns to trust herself, and those around her.

[Geri chesner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been to Jeju Island, South Korea and have seen the area where they haenyeo dive, although didn't get to see them the day I was there. There are some really great adult books about haenyeo, even one by Lisa See. This book really resonates with the life and work of haenyeo and the endpapers of the book, different in front and back, truly depicts the Korean landscape on the island. I would love to go back and see and honor haneyeo.

[DaNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since reading THE ISLAND OF SEA WOMEN, the Haenyeo of Korea have loomed large and mythical for me. This sweet interaction between a girl and her grandmother introduces this magnificent occupation to young readers. Excellent back-matter.

[Chantal Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book was incredible. I am blown away by the art. The story is heartwarming and I learned a lot from this. I had never heard of this korean tradition. These female divers are extraordinary women.

[Laurie Wallmark · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always fascinating to learn about ways of life in other countries. Off the shores of South Korea, elderly women, haenyeo, dive 10-15-20 meters below the surface without using any breathing equipment. This lovely story tells of a girl who overcomes her fears to join her grandmother and the other haenyeo in diving.

[Suebee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick explanation at the beginning of the book of how to pronounce “haenyeo” and the main character’s name (Daeyo) would’ve been appreciated.

Illustrations were gorgeous. Story a little strange for me and a bit hard to follow. Lots of explaining to my American boys that people eat sea urchins and abalone.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning illustrations, and interesting to learn about these traditional, indigenous divers.

[Tori King · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid story is a unique fantasy book with grounding in a fascinating cultural tradition. This story is about Dayeon and her grandmother. Dayeon wants to be a haenyeo, treasure-hunting mermaid, just like her grandmother. The haenyeo are women who free dive to collect ocean treasures that they often sell to make money and care for their families. Grandmother teaches Dayeon to practice holding her breath, and to mitigate her fear of the ocean so she can fulfill her dream of becoming a "mermaid" just like her grandmother and the other haenyeo women. Dayeon dives with her grandmother and makes progress overcoming her fear, and in the end, finding her own treasure.

The Ocean Calls is a beautiful story which shares the story of a unique and fascinating culture of the haenyeo, and a young girl as she finds magic in her heritage and the ocean. The book is beautifully illustrated and exposes young readers not only to what may be a new cultural tradition for many children, it also teaches children about the magic in our cultures and natural environment. The story tells the history and shares the perspective of the haenyeo in a beautiful and informative way. This is a wonderful story about overcoming fear as well, as we see Dayeon learn how to work through her fear of the ocean.

This story is about a real cultural practice, and incorporates elements of fantasy by describing haenyeo women as mermaids. The text provides helpful context and additional information about the history of this tradition, and accounts from haneyeo women in the back of the text. This would be wonderful information to share with students as context for the story.

This book would be a wonderful addition to any classroom library, especially as a culturally relevant text, and would be a great read-aloud text for circle time when students are working on descriptive language or onomatopoeia. Students could then practice writing a sentence or two with onomatopoeias. It would also be great to have students practice writing a short fantasy story of their own after reading this book. Because the text is about how Dayeon admires and wants to be a haenyeo like her grandmother, students could also write and reflect on what they admire about someone they know. This book is appropriate for young readers, ages 5-8. I look forward to incorporating this beautiful text in my classroom!

[Elizabeth]

I often have to force myself to pay attention to illustrations, but this book's illustrations grabbed me from the very beginning. The light feels so real and present on every page. It's a rare experience that I turn the pages for the art and barely pay attention to the text.

It's in many ways a fairly typical story of a child (a) wanting to learn a family tradition, and (b) having to learn to manage a fear. What it is to be a haenyeo comes out naturally in the story, sufficient to make the story more comprehensible, and the backmatter helpfully gets into more depth (er, no pun intended 😂).

It's a nice way to introduce kids to this tradition of bad-ass Korean old ladies without being An Educational Book. The book is very primarily about our protagonist child wanting to become a haenyeo like her grandmother but being afraid of being deep in the water.

I love that the backmatter talks about how well the haenyeo have learned the natural world -- and also what a communal enterprise it is.

"We know the weather better than the weatherman. We can predict how the waves will form by the blowing of the wind." --Kyung Ja Hong, age 70

If the weather is good, the haenyeo dive about twenty days a month. They follow the lunar calendar, watching high and low tides. They have a map of the seabed in their minds and know how to predict the weather by watching shellfish. If shellfish cling to rocks, it means a storm is coming.

On dives, they hunt for octopuses, sea cucumbers, abalone, seaweed, turban snails, sea urchins, etc. They understand how marine life hides, when their spawning seasons are, and where they live on the ocean floor. They know not to be greedy and to take only what is needed. They are classic conservationists of marine ecology.

"We put our lives on the line together." --Kyung Ha Jong, age 70

These women work as a team. They follow rules such as:
* Always dive in groups.
* Check on each other to make sure everyone is okay.
* Be respectful of no-harvest seasons and no-diving zones.

A strong female community, the haenyeo share friendship, laughter, and song.