GIVING THANKS WITH HALMONI Book Review #ReadYourWorld
Read Your World Day is on January 29, 2026, and I’m participating as a Co-Host, Author Sponsor, and Book Reviewer! The book I’m reviewing this year is GIVING THANKS WITH HALMONI: Celebrating Chuseok, the Korean Harvest Festival. Written by Kathleen Choi & Sook Nyul Choi and illustrated by Il Sung Na, this picture book was published by Red Comet Press.
About GIVING THANKS WITH HALMONI
As a Chinese American, I’m familiar with the Chinese holidays but not so much the Korean ones. GIVING THANKS WITH HALMONI does a great job of familiarizing readers with key aspects of Chuseok, Korea’s biggest holiday of the year. Chuseok is sometimes also referred to as the Korean Harvest Festival or “Korean Thanksgiving.” Using the lunar calendar, families celebrate the harvest moon.
Halmoni is the Korean word for grandmother. In the book, a young girl named Su-Jin, taps into her halmoni’s cultural experience to share this holiday with her friends, Maddy and Keisha. Halmoni teaches them about traditional foods such as Korean scallion pancakes (pajun), japchae noodles, a traditional beef stew called galbijjim, and three-color vegetables. Readers will also learn about traditional games and marvel at the special way gifts are wrapped. Chuseok is also a time for remembering ancestors and expressing gratitude.
Colorful, expressive artwork will engage young readers who may find themselves especially fascinated with the illustrations of the full moon. Images feature characters of diverse backgrounds and abilities, underscoring how this holiday is about sharing our bounties with others and spending time with family and friends. Back matter includes information that provides a deeper dive into Chuseok and using the moon as a calendar.
My Recommendation and Where to Find GIVING THANKS WITH HALMONI
I highly recommend GIVING THANKS WITH HALMONI. Universal themes of gratitude, togetherness, and traditions will resonate with students, families, and educators of all backgrounds. The book also encourages cultural awareness and social-emotional skills such as perspective-taking, empathy, and sharing. GIVING THANKS WITH HALMONI: Celebrating Chuseok, the Korean Harvest Festival is ideal for children ages 4-7 years old. It can be found anywhere books are sold, such as Bookshop.org, Amazon, and independent bookstores.
About the Authors and Illustrator
Author Kathleen Choi once worked as a child actor on Sesame Street. She is currently managing editor of District Management Journal, a magazine for K-12 public education leaders. Choi has collaborated with her mother, Sook Nyul Choi, on her many books for children and young adults. A second-generation Korean American and a parent of two, Choi seeks to preserve knowledge and a connectedness to one’s heritage by keeping Korean traditions alive in her family. Kathleen Choi was born and raised in New York City and now lives in the Boston area. Learn more at www.choigeneration.com.
Author Sook Nyul Choi is the author of the award-winning Year of Impossible Goodbyes, an autobiographically based novel telling her dramatic escape from North Korea to South Korea in the aftermath of World War II. In addition to her novels, she has written three children’s books: Halmoni and the Picnic, Yunmi and Halmoni’s Trip, and The Best Older Sister. Giving Thanks with Halmoni is her latest collaboration with her daughter, Kathleen. Sook Nyul Choi lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Learn more at www.choigeneration.com.
Illustrator Il Sung Na is the author-illustrator of many books for children, including A Book of Sleep; Bird, Balloon, Bear; That’s My Carrot; and A Book of Babies, all of which received at least one starred review. He also illustrated Beautiful Noise, The Music of John Cage written by Lisa Rogers. The New York Times noted that Na “brings fresh energy to the familiar.” Originally from South Korea, Na studied illustration at Kingston University in London and now lives in Kansas City with his wife, where he spends time teaching illustration courses at the Kansas City Art Institute. Learn more at www.ilsungna.com.
About Read Your World: Mission, Sponsors, Resources, Virtual Party, and More!
Read Your World 2026 (1/29/26) is in its 14th year! Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen founded this non-profit children’s literacy initiative; they are two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural diverse books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.
Read Your World’s mission is to raise awareness of the need to include kids’ books celebrating diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about its mission and history HERE.
Read Your World is honored to be supported by these Medallions:
FOUNDER’S CIRCLE: Mia Wenjen (Pragmaticmom) and Valarie Budayr (Audreypress.com)
🏅 Super Platinum Sponsor: Author Deedee Cummings and Make A Way Media
🏅 Platinum Sponsors: Language Lizard Bilingual Books in 60 Languages and Jeanne Walker Harvey
🏅 Gold Sponsors: Publisher Spotlight
🏅 Silver Sponsors: Red Comet Press
🏅 Silver Corporate Sponsor: Kathy Choi
🏅 Bronze Sponsors: Fabled Films Press
🏅 Corporate Sponsor: Crayola Education
Read Your World is honored to be supported by these Author Sponsors!
Authors: Audrey Barbakoff, Federico Erebia, Teddi Ahrens, Stephanie M. Wildman, Maritza M. Mejia, Authors J.C. Kato and J.C.², Eugenia Chu, Dorktales Storytime Podcast, Josh Funk, Frances Díaz Evans, Gaia Cornwall, Eric Clock, Maria Wen Adcock, Diana Huang, Gwen Jackson, Gea Meijering, Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett, Ismee Williams, Karin Fisher-Golton, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Tami Lehman-Wilzig, Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou, Nancy Tupper Ling, Teresa Robeson, Crystal Z. Lee, Karen Leggett Abouraya, Elly Swartz, Robbin Miller, Shifa Safadi, Tonya Ellis, Lisa Stringfellow, Sylvia Liu, Kimberly Biddle, Robbin Miller, Eric Clock, Tonya Ellis, Nadine Pressley, Natahsa Yim Carter, and Lisa Chong.
Read Your World is Honored to be Supported by our CoHosts and Global CoHosts and by our Partner Organizations!
Check out RYW’s Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!
📌 FREE RESOURCES from Read Your World Day
- FREE RYW2026 Poster
- FREE Building Community with Bilingual Books 2026 Classroom Kit
- FREE Mental Health Support for Stressful Times Classroom Kit
- FREE Diversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents
- FREE Homeschool Diverse Kidlit Booklist & Activity Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Activism and Activists Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Empathy Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Kindness Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Poverty Kit
- Gallery of Our Free Posters
- FREE Diversity Book for Classrooms Program
📌 Register for the Read Your World Virtual Party: https://readyourworld.org/virtualparty
Join us on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 8 pm EST, celebrating 14 years of Read Your World Day Virtual Party! Register here. This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas. We will be giving away a 10-Book Bundle during the virtual party, plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants are welcome. **
Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, and connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. We look forward to seeing you all on January 29, 2026, at our virtual party!
2026 Big Giant Linky – Read Your World
View all the book reviews participating in the 2026 Read Your World celebration!
Excellent information, review and classroom resources. Thank you for your support to Read Your World Day.