Giving Thanks with Halmoni
Celebrating Chuseok, the Korean Harvest Festival
by Kathleen Choi & Sook Nyul Choi, illustrated by Sung Na
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Pub Date Aug 12 2025 | Archive Date Jul 10 2025
Publisher Spotlight | Red Comet Press
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Description
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 honored. 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.
Advance Praise
"A heartwarming tale that beautifully captures the essence of the Korean holiday Chuseok. . . A delightful story about friendship, acceptance, and kindness, perfect for introducing young readers to the rich traditions of Chuseok." ―School Library Journal
"A young girl wants to make the Korean Harvest Festival extra special for her grandmother. . . Heartwarming and festive."―Kirkus Reviews
Featured Reviews
Lisa D, Reviewer
Chuseok is like Thanksgiving in Korea, and this is a wonderful picture book talking about the origin and traditions of the holiday. Su-Jin knows her grandmother is missing Korea, and decides with her friends to help her celebrate Chuseok. This was a wonderful story about people sharing their cultures, and ended with a promise to teach the grandmother about American Thanksgiving.
Shannon K, Reviewer
This book is absolutely amazing!! I can't stress enough how important it is for there to be a wide variety of cultures that are represented in children's books. The author of this book definitely knew this, and I applaud them for sharing Korean culture in this book. Additionally, I loved that Su-Jin had friends that showed a lot of curiosity and interest regarding Chuseok, even though they didn't traditionally celebrate it themselves. This is great for young readers to see because it will encourage them to explore cultures that are unfamiliar to them, which will broaden their horizons greatly. Lastly, I adored the ending of this book, because it hinted at other characters sharing their fall traditions sometime later on. In other words, it leaves the book on a more open-ended note, but is still satisfying for the reader.
This book was so educational, diverse, and heartwarming. Awesome work!
Carolyn C, Librarian
This was a fascinating story about family, traditions, and finding ways to connect with our grandparents. Su-Jin is a young girl who knows that her grandmother is missing her cousins and family traditions from Korea now that she lives in the United States. However, Su-Jin isn't familiar with Chuseok, a celebration of the Harvest Moon. Along with Su-Jin and friends, the reader learns about the lunar calendar and Korean traditions as they diverge and converge with the Gregorian calendar and traditions.
This is a holiday that was unfamiliar to me, and it was fascinating learning through the eyes of a child. The narrator connects the celebration of the harvest moon with her American tradition of Thanksgiving, which will help readers make a connection as well. At the end of the book, the author includes a glossary and more information about Korean agricultural traditions, and some of the challenges that the land created for farming.
I really enjoyed the topic, narration, and illustrations. I highly recommend this book for schools and libraries.
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