Halmoni's Day

by Edna Coe Bercaw, Robert Hunt (Illustrator)

Having arrived from Korea, Jennifer's grandmother, Halmoni, is just in time for the Grandparents' Day celebration at school and, despite not knowing the language or customs, attends proudly at the side of her granddaughter.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Asian American, Childrens, Cultural

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2000

Reviews

[Patrick]

I read this book with my two sons who are both half Korean. I identified with the struggle with the grandmother's non-American identity but I am not sure how much my boys did yet. It will be interesting to see how they see this book as they look back on it in a few years. Beautifully illustrated!

[(NS) Becca]

To begin with, this book has absolutely phenomal pictures which must draw in every reader. Halmoni's Day is written by Edna Beraw, illustrated by Robert Hunt, published by Dial Books for Young Readers (2000).

Halmoni's Day is about a little girl, Jennifer, who is very excited because her grandmother from Korea is coming to visit and will make an appearance at her class Grandparents' Day. Although Halmoni (the grandmother) can not speak English she makes a deep impression on all the students as she tells the story of her life (translated by Jennifer's mom). The students are all moved and Jennifer feels extremely proud and lucky to have Halmoni as her grandmother.

This book is an excellent book and is recommended for students age 5-8, but I would suggest reading it for upper elementary grades so that they can truly understand the whole meaning of the words. I tried to read it to my second graders and they seemed a little bit lost in the message. The story beautifully captures the emotions felt by children who come from different cultures and how they sometimes need to be taught to be proud of their heritage. It points out that everyone has a story. The story also adds authentic details relating to the culture without enfusing it so much in the story that is does not seem realistic or relatable.

[(NS) Heatherk]

I began searching for a book that authentically represented Korean Americans, as many of my students are in this cultural group and I wanted to learn more about the culture. Jennifer's grandmother (Halmoni in Korean) visits the United States just in time for Grandparent's Day at her school. Jennifer is nervous about bringing her halmoni to school because she does not dress like other grandparents, nor speak the English language either. Her halmoni receives the award for the Grandparent that Traveled the Farthest at the ceremony. At that time, her halmoni shares a wonderful story about the importance of family and how proud she is of Jennifer. This story exposes the reader to the importance of family in the Korean culture and sharing memories generation to generation.

[Massanutten Regional Library]

Joseph, Central patron, June 2018, 5 stars:

Halmoni's Day is a wonderful glimpse of a Korean grandmother visiting the U.S. Through translation, Jennifer, her granddaughter, gets to enjoy her grandmother's stories and perspectives on life. Having lived in South Korea previously, this is an excellent introduction to Korean culture for any reader.

[Jo Oehrlein]

A first generation American girl welcomes her newly-arrived Korean grandmother to school for Grandparents' Day. Although she has to use an interpreter (the girl's mother), the Korean grandmother has a story to share.

[Lola]

The oil painting illustrations are exquisite. The faces looks so real and can feel the love they have in them. It makes me ponder stories my grandma would tell me of her life. I want to thank the author for such a sweet story.

[Jessica]

Beautiful art work-painting quality. I like this book for the gentle way they honored relatives from far away.

[A Meland]

Halmoni’s Day is a story about a girl named Jennifer and her grandmother, Halmoni, visiting from South Korea to attend her school’s Grandparent’s Day celebration. At first Jennifer is nervous to bring her grandmother to school because she is different than all the other grandparents. However, when Halmoni shows up at school, Jennifer awards her “the grandparent who traveled the furthest to get here.” Halmoni then tells a beautiful story about her childhood in South Korea and memories of her father leaving and returning from the Korean War. Halmoni says even after her father returned from war and grew old she was still able to communicate with him without words, and this reminds her of her granddaughter, Jennifer, and how they can still form a strong relationship despite not speaking the same language. In the end, Halmoni and Jennifer embrace and the reader can tell she is proud of her grandmother and heritage.

The book’s theme is that it is important to develop an understanding of and be proud of one’s heritage.

I very much enjoy this book. I brought this book to school for my own Grandparent’s Day in the second grade. However, reading it again at an older age reminds me of the importance of family. I love hearing the stories my own grandmother has to tell about growing up in San Diego. My other grandmother has Alzheimer’s but still remembers some stories from her childhood. This book serves as a good reminder to record and savor those stories so I can one day share parts of my family history with my own children.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. Parents and teachers could use it to start a conversation about a child’s family history. Additionally, I think many children can relate to Jennifer’s initial embarrassment about introducing a member of her family who may be different. Even if readers do not have a family member from another country they may have a friend or sibling with a special need, different socioeconomic background or family history. This book teaches that our differences are something we should embrace.

[Hyunhee Bae]

During Jennifer’s school’s Grandparents’ Day, her grandmother visited from Korea. Jennifer worried about her grandmother not knowing English and mainstream culture...

When I showed Halmoni’s Day to my 4th grade son, who just came from Korea and is bilingual, he immediately noticed that the book was written by a person who is an outsider. He thought the Halmoni’s costume was weird; the costume was a Korean traditional dress, Hanbok. We do not normally wear Hanbok, especially on a long distance flight, as it would be too formal and uncomfortable. We usually wear Hanbok onspecial days, like a wedding day or a 70th birthday for old people. Another point that I also noticed was the table setting. When Halmoni arrived at Jennifer’s home, they ate brunch. In the illustration of the table setting, I could not find rice. Jennifer’s mom prepared Korean traditional food, butthere was no rice bowl on the table. In addition, the chopsticks were not Koreanstyle. Jennifer’s families were using Chinese-style chopsticks. These little things did not ruin the whole story, but as an insider, when I read this picture book, I could feel something was missing and not sophisticated enough.

[Julia Somer]

This book expresses the emotions that children go through when they have family members that do not speak the same language as them. Jennifer’s grandmother, Halmoni, is visiting Jennifer’s family all the way from Korea for Grandparent’s Day at Jennifer’s school. Jennifer is worried what her classmates will think of her grandma’s silk dress and foreign language. As Jennifer’s mom translates for Halmoni, Halmoni tells a touching message that causes Jennifer to be prouder than ever of her family and culture. After her grandmother told her story, Jennifer realized that she was worried for no reason. Jennifer said, "Today is your day, Halmoni. Thank you for making it mine too." This story shows how some children have to learn to be proud of their family's culture. The illustrations in this book were beautiful and life-like. Even though Halmoni speaks Korean, because it was translated, there is not much Korean language actually used in this story.

[Mandy Tanksley]

"Halmoni's Day" is a nice tale of a granddaughter worried that she'll be embarrassed by her Korean grandmother at school. The story is short and simple, but delivers a sweet message about acceptance, love, and family. Robert Hunt's Illustrations are beautiful and life-like. This may not be the best children's book out there, but it is a good one. It's a nice story for those whose family's come from different countries.

[Megan Richards]

Jennifer’s grandmother from Korea is coming into town just in time for Grandparents Day at school. Jennifer is worried how her class will perceive her Halmoni since she does not speak English and looks different than the other grandparents. The whole class is captivated by Halmoni’s beautiful story about her relationship with her father while Jennifer’s mother translates.

[Susanna S571]

This was a great story of a Korean-American girl, Jennifer, interacting with her Korean grandmother, Halmoni, who doesn't speak English. Halmoni arrives in time for Grandparents Day at Jennifer's school, and shares a touching story about her own childhood with the class. Absolutely beautiful illustrations.

[Heidi-Marie]

Very sweet book about a young Korean-American girl who is nervous about her Korean grandmother coming to Grandparents' Day at school. But a tender story reveals to the little girl one reason her grandmother loves and understands her so well.

[Linh Tong]

This was a great book! It's a touching story about learning about each other's cultures. I would read this book at the beginning of the school year to get to know the students better. We will talk about our culture and traditions during circle time.

[Sam]

This is meant to be a heartwarming story. It's too dry for my little ones. If a young child had a similar experience they might connect with it better.

[thistle]

The overall effect is mixed--the grandmother's story is important and Other relative to most readers, but it's othered quite thoroughly beyond that.

The art is awesome.

[Marilyn]

Alissa liked that God made her special and she's different.