Read fun traditional tales and contemporary stories, fiction and non-fiction children’s books about South Korea, host of the Olympic Winter Games this year.
- Where’s Halmoni? by Julie Kim.
- Irresistible story about a brother and sister, mysterious tracks leading into the forest, a clever rabbit, friendly cookie-eating goblins, a greedy tiger who cheats at rock, paper, scissors, and thousand year old fox with nine tails. (Picture book)
- Korean Children’s Favorite Stories by Kim So-Un, Keong Kyoung-Sim.
- Enchanting collection of Korean folk tales – an old woman tricks a bad tiger and tosses it into the sea, a boy called Talltree, whose father is a tree, three magic pumpkins with carpenters, farmhands, silver and gold inside, a toad fights a deadly snake, student saves a village from a deadly tiger, a warrior rescues three princesses from an ogre. Thirteen traditional stories illustrated in a charming folk art style (the tigers are stellar). (Chapter book)
- A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park.
- Twelfth century Korea, Ch’ulp’o is a village of potters, and Min is the most famous. An orphan, Tree-ear, yearns to make the delicate gray-green celadon ware. Tree-ear watches Min at work, and finally asks to work for him, chopping wood, digging and draining clay. Carrying two of Min’s precious vases to the king’s emissary, Tree-ear is beset by robbers, the vases broken, only a single shard is left. (Chapter book)
- No Kimchi for Me! by Aram Kim.
- Little Yoomi doesn’t like smelly, spicy kimchi, a traditional Korean dish of fermented vegetables. Her brothers tease her, but Grandma has a plan – kimchi pancakes (and there’s a recipe for kimchi pancakes). Delightful story that celebrates family and food. (Picture book)
- Living In … South Korea by Chloe Perkins, Tom Woolley.
- Kids can read for themselves about South Korea, home to fifty million people. Spend the day with Min-jun, meet his family, go to school, find out about cities and landscape, learn about the history of South Korea, do tae kwan do and eat typical South Korean food (kimchi bokum bap). (Easy reader)
- All About Korea: Stories, Songs, Crafts and More by Ann Martin Bowler, Soosoonam Barg.
- Get to know the people, history, and culture of Korea – geography (it’s mountainous), family traditions and customs, folk tales, religions, games, sports, food, dance and music, festivals, plus stories, songs, crafts to make. (Illustrated chapter book)