Halmoni's day, meaning Grandmother's Day, is Korean is a story about a young Korean girl and her Grandmother. Jennifer, our protagonist, is excited to introduce her grandmother to her class for grandparents day. After realizing that she is the only Korean in her all American classroom , she beings to feel unsure about bringing her grandmother, who was very Korean in every possible way. Jennifer learns the important lesson to never feel ashamed of who she is, after her grandmother shares her story in front of her class. She finds herself relating to her grandmother a lot, and having a new found respect for her. This would be a great story to read in a classroom, as it introduces new cultures to the students. ( )

I liked this book. This book had very descriptive language that really helped me to visualize the story better. One example is, "Jennifer gazed into the kind eyes twinkling with excitement." When I read this sentence, I could fully visualize this scene. The characters were also very well developed. Because we could see how the main character Jennifer was feeling, readers get more of a sense of her as a person. I also really liked the illustrations. They were realistic yet hand drawn which I thought was really creative. I liked that the clothes Halmoni were wearing were appropriate to her culture. ( )

I think that this is a good book for kids because it teaches about the importance of family. It also tells how families can be separated by oceans and countries and still be very close. This book also briefly tells a story about a family during the Korean War. ( )

Reviews/Awards Source Date
Horn Book Guide 4/1/2001
Booklist 11/1/2000
School Library Journal 8/1/2000 ( )