I really love this picture book! As a Korean American, I grew up eating a mix of traditional Korean food and traditional American Thanksgiving food on this major holiday. My parents always made an effort to infuse American culture into our Korean home, and I am so grateful for it. The art in this book is so fun, and I love that it celebrates the culture and food of two distinct cultures.

This book was delightful. It reminds me of Thanksgiving with my in-laws, turkey and stuffing placed next to tteokguk and dumplings.

A young girl helps her mom prepare Thanksgiving dinner, with dishes from both sides of her biracial family. She and her mother visit both the local market and the Korean market across the street, gathering ingredients for roast turkey and stuffing as well as galbi and japchae. On Thanksgiving day, both sides of her family celebrate together, sipping tea, watching football, and enjoying all the dishes of one big family meal.

Whan's charming story, inspired by her own childhood, is warm and affirming, and Kim's illustrations are joyful and evocative. Both the story and the artwork start off parallel in structure, with two grocery lists and a trip to each market. As the book progresses, however, the ingredients begin to overlap, and over the course of dinner, the main character realizes "Mom and I started with two lists for two families. But now, I see one family around one dinner table." A lovely celebration of family, food, and holiday traditions.

A well-considered and sweet story about a Korean-American girl's family traditions surrounding Thanksgiving, and how they honor both cultures. The contrasts and complements between the different foods and cultures are beautifully highlighted with warm illustrations and understandable language for a wide range of ages. I would recommend this book for ages 3 on up. It's a book that even a teenager (or some adults) could learn from.
As a parent, I particularly enjoyed how the girl in the book was involved in the entire process of preparing the meal - she was valued and her contribution to the labor of preparing the meal important. Family and traditions are central in the story, and its heartwarming tale of culture blending, respect for other cultural traditions, and unity and belonging despite (or maybe because of) differences. I also enjoyed the recipes at the end! My kids love making recipes they find in the back of picture books!