"Just before Halloween, while looking through his late grandfather’s things, Kimin recalls a time in Korea, when, late at night, he saw his grandfather, his face grotesque and distorted. Now he finds photographs of his grandfather as a professional dancer, as well as his robes and masks, and realizes that he only saw his grandfather in costume. Since Halloween is a time to honor the dead, Kimin decides to dress as his grandfather. He dons the robe and mask and impresses all of the neighborhood children, who don’t recognize him. Tragedy strikes when the mask falls and is damaged, but this leads to Kimin’s discovery of a note from his grandfather. Kimin’s understanding mother helps him realize that his grandfather would not be angry, and together, he and his mother hang all of the masks in the house to commemorate his grandfather. A note about talchum, Korean mask dance, follows the story. A unique look at Halloween, this is a comforting story about death and some of the traditions of Korean culture. (Picture book. 5-8)" www.kirkusreviews.com

Love this story - very cute. I love that the mother opens up with some family history.

The writing in this book could be used to show that when a word is a different language from the main language of the book you italicize the word! ( )

The story of a Korean boy who finds his deceased grandfather's tal (mask) and wears it for Halloween. In doing so he learns about his grandfather and his heritage and is able to share that information with his friends and form a deeper connection with his grandfather. I found the book to be a nice blend of overlapping ideas from different cultures, although the painting style is not my favorite. ( )

This was a nice story about remembering those we love and sharing our culture with others. It could be shared with students around Halloween or could even be used for an art lesson about masks.