Gift Guide for Korean Themed Books for Kids

Having a toddler of my own, I’ve always been on the lookout for good kids literature for him. I’ve especially been on the hunt for Korean themed books in order to introduce him to his Korean heritage.

I remember, when I was a kid, my mother giving me beautifully illustrated Korean folktale books that were all in Korean. It motivated me to learn to read the Korean words so that I could understand what was going on in the story. This was a lot more fun than sitting down and being forced to memorize letters and words. Knowing Korean became a tool to get where I wanted to go, which was to understand the book. As opposed to learning Korean just for the sake of learning it. That may be fine for adults, but not enough of a motivator for children.

These are the very best of Korean themed books I’ve found. No, they’re not all in Korean. But they do celebrate Korean culture in some way. And they are sure to please any reader…including adults! 😉

And although I’ve provided the recommended age range for each book, I firmly believe that it’s never too early to introduce a book to a child that may be outside of this range. Almost all young children take to pictures if not the words. And older kids will still find something new to learn as well. So the only reason I really provided the age range is for those of you who may have a toddler (a.k.a. the destroyer of books). We read these books together, or while he’s closely supervised, and then I promptly put them out of his reach. We’re still working on respecting books. 🙄 But nonetheless, he does enjoy reading them!

Travel to South Korea Through a Book

If You Were Me and Lived In… South Korea: A Child’s Introduction to Cultures Around the World – by Carole P. Roman – This book gives a glimpse into what it’s like in South Korea (e.g. food, landmarks, holidays, etc.). (Age range: 4-8)

All About Korea: Stories, Songs, Crafts and More by Ann Martin Bowler – This is a great resource for teaching kids Korean songs and crafts (including rice cakes!). (Age range: 5-10)

Korean Folktales and Songs

The Green Frogs: A Korean Folktale by Yumi Heo – A retelling of the Korean folktale of rebellious young frogs disobeying their mother, which of course ends badly for them. If you’re not a fan of saccharin sweet Disney-like stories, then you’ll love this book. The illustrations are beautiful, yet unconventional. (Age range: 4-7)

Maya and the Turtle: A Korean Fairy Tale by John C. Stickler – Based on a Korean fable, this original fairy tale is about a poor young girl and the importance of selflessness. (Age range: 4-8)

The Mysterious Stream: A Bilingual Korean Folktale by FB Smit – Also based on a Korean folktale, this story follow the journey of a woodcutter who discovered a mysterious stream. The great thing about this book though is that it’s written in English as well as Korean. Plus it’s available as an interactive app (Apple and Google Play). (Age range: 4-8)

Korean Children’s Favorite Stories by Kim So-Un and Jeong Kyoung-Sim – This is not only a collection of Korean folktales but also of other countries. Keep in mind that Korean folktales tend to be scary so these are too. (Age range: 5-14)

Korean Folk Songs: Stars in the Sky and Dreams in Our Hearts by Robert Choi – Put together by a music teacher, this set includes 14 sing along songs and there’s an audio CD included. There’s the well known classics like “Mountain Rabbit” and “Arirang.” But there are scores more that would do any halmoni proud! Oh, and they’re also in both Korean and English! (Age range: 4-8)

Other Korean-Themed Books

No Kimchi For Me! by Aram Kim – Yoomi hates kimchi until she’s shown how to make kimchi pancakes. This book celebrates Korean culture in a delicious way! (Age range: 3-7)

Where’s Halmoni? by Julie Kim – This graphic novel style picture book follows a young Korean boy and girl in their search for their grandmother (Halmoni), as they encounter all kinds of Korean folklore inspired creatures. (Age range: 5-9)

 

Dear Juno by Soyung Park – This is a touching story of a boy exchanging letters with his Korean grandmother. He draws and she only writes in Korean. It’s a beautiful story of bridging not only a cultural gap, but a generational gap. (Age range: 4-8)

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi – A beautifully illustrated book of a young Korean girl adjusting to her new life in the U.S. A great book about embracing who you are and accepting the differences of others. (Age range: 3-7)

Waiting for Mama by Tae-Jun Lee (English and Korean edition) – A poignant story about a little boy waiting for his mother in the cold winter snow. It’s simplistic but the emotions that it evokes are complex. Also, the illustrations set the story in the 1930s so you get to see what people wore at that time in Korea. (Age range: 4-8)

Sleep Tight, Little Wolf (Jal ja, kkoma neugdaeya)by Ulrich Renz – Okay, so this is NOT Korean in any way, except that it’s in Korean and English. It’s just a cute story about a boy and his missing wolf.  But it’s a great bedtime read with the added benefit of teaching some Korean. (Age range: 2 and up)

Books – The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Every kid I’ve ever known likes to read the same book over and over and over again. Freshen up their library with a couple of these books. Not only are they great stories, but they also teach a bit about Korean and/or Korean culture. Thereby, sneaking in a little cultural/language lesson without them even realizing it! 🤓

Looking for other gift ideas? Check out the other gift guides here!

Did you not see a favorite Korean-themed book on this list? Share in the comments!