Halmoni and the Picnic

By

Sook Nyul Choi

Choi, Sook, Nyul, Halmoni and the Picnic. 31p. Houghton Mifflin Company. 1993. Tr $14.95. ISBN 0-395-61626-3.

Gr.2-4—This is a delightful picture book based on the lives of

Yunmi, a Korean-American third grader and her grandmother, Halmoni,

which means "grandmother" in Korean. Yunmi has assimilated very well in

America, since she was born here. Halmoni, on the other hand, is Korean

born and is having a difficult time of fitting in culturally and linguistically.

It is an endearing story with an equally endearing plot and characters which

we would like to get to know better. The theme of friendship—in this case,

intergenerational—is one easily embraced. Halmoni misses her homeland

and feels very lonely in America without any friends other than her

immediate family. She soon discovers that she can be friends with eight

year-olds!

The reader will learn a little about some Korean culinary customs and

traditions with respect to relationships between children and their elders.

Everyone ends up learning something about each other and their respective

customs as they become friends.

The illustrations are realistic and colorful, and thankfully, are not done in a

negative, stereotypical fashion.

In the classroom, students can read this book as they study under the

umbrella theme of friendship. It can also be a part of a multicultural

diversity study done by classroom or by the entire school.

By Noelia Klein