Seoul Food tells the story of Hana who has grandparents from South Carolina and South Korea. All her grandparents are coming for dinner, and Hana wants to make something everyone will like. However, her grandparents from South Carolina like gumbo while her grandparents from South Korea like kimchi-jjigae, and she has a hard time picking dinner. She then makes Seoul food - a kimchi gumbo, and everyone loves it. The book has beautiful illustrations and great messages about not giving up and love bringing a family together. The story ends with a guide on how to pronounce different words used in the book and their meaning as well as a recipe for Hana's Kimchi Gumbo, which are nice additions. Seoul Food is a great book for children with family from different cultures or children who like learning about other cultures.

I am just IN LOVE with this whole book! As a mixed race child, I had dishes (and family members) from different parts of the world with different cuisines. We would make Korean kimchee-jigae, Samoan pani popo, and Hawaiian kalua pork, among others. Every dish was special because it connected to culture. Hana's sweet gesture to make a dish combining everything she loves about American soul food and Korean food made my heart SING. As family gathers around food, what a beautiful way to show love for family by showing love for food.

The illustrations were so adorable and colorful!

Omg this book was adorable! These illustrations were so cute, I found myself smiling though every page I was reading! I love the story <3

this was so special and cute and fun. my nephew enjoyed it and it’s different than anything i’ve read him but he and i both enjoyed it so much

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

This is a wonderful picture book about having family from different parts of the world and finding ways to bring them together. The little girl wants to make a special meal for both sets of grandparents, the ones from South Carolina and the ones from South Korea. After many failed attempts to make something she come up with her own idea and recipe. Very sweet and imaginative.

Gorgeous art, cute story, and a delicious sounding recipe. I love the way the family tries different solutions and ends up creating a solution of their own. A simple but satisfying look at navigating what it means to have two different family cultures.

The first thing I loved immediately about this book is that the family represents a mix of cultures. The little girl telling the story is half Korean and half Creole-Cajun. She is trying to decide what food to make for the arrival of BOTH sets of grandparents and taps into her memories of cooking with each of them. By the end of the story she has finally figured out what to make by creating her OWN dish that represents both sides of her. Not only does the story demonstrate the love within a family but also how food can play an important role in that relationship. And I love that at the end of the story the author included food word definitions so that readers who may not be familiar with Creole-Cajun or Korean food understand what their meaning. And last, but certainly not least, the author included the real recipe that the little girl created in the story connecting readers even further to the author and her story.

"Seoul Food" by Erin Danielle Russell is a delightful children's book about a child with southern (U.S.) and Korean grandparents who wants to make a meal that both sets of grandparents will enjoy together. The main character is creative and thoughtful about it. Beautiful and fun illustrations. This would be a good book for kids (and adults) who are interested in food / cooking, who are from multicultural families or who are interested. Good to read aloud as well. Thanks to Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the eARC.

This is such a sweet, clever, fun, heartwarming story. We learn at the beginning that Hana's family is separated by geography and by simply being different, so she plans a meal for everyone to share that integrates all the best tastes: kimchi gumbo! And of course everyone loves it. Even though they live far away, this family is united by love. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

This was such a fun book to read. As a child from two different cultural backgrounds, I appreciated the representation. In this novel, two families are coming together and little granddaughter, Hana is challenged with making something that both of her grandparents will enjoy. She decides to create a fusion meal that is well received by all. I appreciated the recipe for Kimchi Gumbo included in the end, I would love to try this. I am going to start teaching soon, and would love to include this book within my curriculum, so I will have to keep an eye out! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC. Best wishes on the new release.

5 stars children’s book

First of all, genius book title! Thanks NetGalley and Erin Russell for the E-ARC 🫶🏼

Beautifully illustrated from cover to back, i have a lot to highlight in this promising publication! In order, my attention was captivated by the illustrations then sweet plot, I read it out loud to my little cousins and they were very intrigued by the pretty images and easy phrases, it’s a suitable match for kids aged 5-10. Gumbo has all my favorite things, and I bet it tastes super good, definitely on my cook-list! (For now, I offer this drawing)

Tamisha did a wonderful job illustrating the scope of the story, just looking at the second page of tiled-food illustration made me hungry. The warmth and happiness is radiant, in page 5, the bond between the kids and their parents was beautifully expressed visually without the need to elaborate by using words. Direct and comprehensive illustrations are always the best!

The writing was sweet and simple, exploring common dishes that many kids are familiar was a smart move, then allowing our cute MC Hana to come up with a recipe from the heart just tied it all in together. The main focus was celebrating different cultural foods and family connections, and that shined through!

Notes:

I would’ve preferred if Hana’s sister had a name visible in the illustrations or had a brief conversation with Hana, it seemed she was inserted but not active at all, unlike the parents.

It would be a lot more fun to add the spelling of the foreign words such as KIMCHI JJIGAE in big colorful letters on the same page they’re mention, for kids to spell out, example the word ( “KIM-chee- JIH-geh” ), I do appreciate the glossary at the end of the book!

Young aspiring chef, Hana, is getting a visit from both sets of grandparents, from South Carolina and Seoul, South Korea, and she’s wondering what she can cook to appease both their appetites. I love seeing more children’s books sharing cultures and cuisines from different parts of the world. In Seoul Food, we learn about kimchi-jjigae, a popular stew from Korea, and gumbo, a staple in soul food. We also get a recipe for the dish Hana ultimately creates by using ingredients and techniques from both dishes. The illustrations in this book are colorful and inviting and make me want to spend more time with Hana and her family. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

#SeoulFood is a wonderful story about family. Everyone's family is different and combining cultures can be tricky, but this story shows that all it takes is love. I love how it all comes together with food. This is a great story to read to my littles and talk about our favorite foods and what makes them special.

This is such a cute children’s book. It features a girl named Hana, the mixed race daughter of a Black mom and Korean dad who’s trying to figure out what to cook for an upcoming meal with both sets of grandparents. The story is so sweet, the illustrations are gorgeous, and I love that the recipe for Hana’s kimchi gumbo is included at the end!

Thank you NetGalley, Erin Russell , and Viking Books for Young Readers for this arc!

5/5 stars

This was such a sweet book about finding ways to include and combine your heritage! The art was lovely, and the story was really sweet. I love that the recipe was also included in the back!

This is a story of a young bi-racial Black and Korean American girl who is trying to make both sets of grandparents happy by cooking one dish which would assimilate both cultures. She wants her families to be close to each other like the way she is close to both of them.

The story is really simple and right for the kids to understand what is going on. Its a good start to bringing different cultures together but at the same time not everything needs to come together in one piece for people to appreciate others. Understanding other cultures and respecting them will also bring people together. The illustrations are really cute and very attractive.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Erin Russell and Viking books for young readers for providing me this eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

My rating 3.5 rounded to 4

Seoul Food was such a cute book about Hana, a Black and Korean Girl. The little girl wants to make her grandparents a special dish they will love, but she can’t think of the perfect meal to make. She ends up following her heart and makes kimchi gumbo.

I absolutely loved the pictures. They are too playful and absolutely wonderful drawings. This is such an amazing book for little kids who love to cook and are biracial.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this. As someone who is bi-racial, this is a story I wished I had when I was younger. Story is short and simple - right to the point and not complicated for littles one. Great story to show how two cultures can come together. The pictures are cute and fun to look at as well!

I couldn't help but cry while reading this, this story is precious. I loved the cleverness of the idea of 'Seoul food', it showcases such a great example of appreciating both cultures. I would love to try and make the recipe in the book.

A sweet celebration of food, family, and cultures. Fantastic last line that leaves readers with a strong message of inclusion.

This book even contains a Korean/Soul fusion recipe at the end, to further engage young readers.

Lovely.