Giving Thanks with Halmoni

Excitement is building for Chuseok, the biggest Korean holiday of the year, and Halmoni wants to share it with her granddaughter and her friends. With a dearth of picture books about Chuseok, this book should be a welcome addition to the literature about the celebration.

Su-Jin’s halmoni (grandmother in Korean) is excited for the Korean holiday of Chuseok. She is watching the moon grow larger each night. Celebrated on the day of the Harvest Moon, Chuseok is a time when her family will gather, give thanks, and share in a very special feast. It’s the biggest holiday of the year—often referred to as Korean Thanksgiving. Su-Jin is excited, too. She wants to share the holiday with her friends Maddy and Keisha, who are curious to learn all about it. So the three girls decide to help Halmoni get ready for the celebration.

Traditional foods are prepared, gifts are wrapped in a special way, games are played, and customs like gratitude and remembering ancestors are honoured. The friends learn how to wish each other a happy Chuseok in Korean, and they look forward to sharing the American traditions of Thanksgiving with Halmoni. Seeing images of Su-Jin’s Korean grandmother in her traditional hanbok and the Korean American granddaughter navigating both Korean and American cultures will be helpful to those learning, understanding, accepting, and embracing their Korean identity as well as feeling a greater sense of belonging in American culture.

The authors tell a universal tale that will appeal to many young readers. The Thanksgiving holiday also provides a valuable point of comparison for appreciating this ancient Korean celebration.