No Kimchi for Me!
When Yoomi’s Grandma visits from South Korea, she prepares delicious meals for her family. However, when Grandma serves kimchi, a traditional Korean dish of seasoned, fermented vegetables, Yoomi does not enjoy it. Yoomi’s older brothers respond by calling her a baby, which causes Yoomi to feel sad and left out. When Yoomi’s attempts to try kimchi on a cookie, pizza, and even ice cream don’t work, Grandma comes to the rescue with a recipe for kimchi pancakes. Yoomi likes the pancake, but the real treasure for her is the time spent cooking up a solution with her Grandma. The book also includes endpapers (the inside of the front and back cover) of vegetables used when making kimchi and various kimchi dishes, as well as a recipe for kimchi pancakes.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book Awards
Book Activities & Discussion Ideas
Before reading with children, use the information in the back of the book to describe kimchi for those who might not be familiar with it, and encourage those who might have tried the dish to describe what it is like. Show children the endpapers (the inside of the front and back cover) and talk about the various vegetables that are used to make kimchi and the different ways it can be served. Ask children about their personal experiences trying a new food at meal or snack time. After reading the story, children may be interested in seeing or trying kimchi. The recipe in the back of the book for kimchi pancakes would be a fun one to try. Using the pages of the story where Yoomi cooks with her Grandma, talk about the vocabulary that is part of each step, including chop, pour, break, add, and stir. Then enjoy the final steps – taste and describe!
Before reading the story, families who have tried kimchi can talk together about whether they like the taste and their preferences in the way that it can be prepared. Adults wanting to know more about kimchi can read the description at the back of the book that describes this traditional dish as well as the illustrations showing the ingredients and the way it can be prepared. Adults can help children connect their own personal experiences with trying new foods to those of Yoomi in the story. When children can personally connect to a story, it becomes more meaningful and supports their growing comprehension skills. Even though they may have never tried kimchi, they can still understand how Yoomi might be feeling. Don’t be surprised if you add kimchi to your list of new foods to try once you have read the story together!
Note: pronouncenames.com may be helpful for pronouncing names.