Giving Thanks with Halmoni: Celebrating Chuseok, the Korean Harvest Festival - Hardcover

by Kathleen Choi (Author), Sook Nyul Choi (Author), Il Sung Na (Illustrator)

A 2026 Notable Social Studies Trade Books Award Winner

Giving Thanks with Halmoni is a heartwarming picture book that introduces young readers to the rich traditions of Chuseok, Korea's harvest moon festival.

As the moon grows fuller each night, Su-Jin's halmoni (grandmother) prepares for the biggest Korean holiday of the year--a time for family, gratitude, and remembrance.

Eager to share the celebration, Su-Jin invites her friends Maddy and Keisha to help Halmoni get ready. Together, they prepare traditional foods, wrap gifts in colorful cloth, play festive games, and learn how to honor ancestors. Along the way, the girls discover how to wish each other a happy Chuseok in Korean and explore the connections between Korean and American Thanksgiving traditions.

With vibrant illustrations by Il Sung Na and storytelling by Kathleen Choi and Sook Nyul Choi, this book beautifully captures the spirit of Chuseok and the joy of cultural exchange. A touching tale of friendship, identity, and belonging, it's perfect for readers ages 4-7 and families looking to celebrate heritage and gratitude together.

Author Biography

Kathleen Choi once worked as a child actor on Sesame Street. She is currently managing editor of District Management Journal, a magazine for K-12 public education leaders. Choi has collaborated with her mother, Sook Nyul Choi, on her many books for children and young adults. A second-generation Korean American and a parent of two, Choi seeks to preserve knowledge and a connectedness to one's heritage by keeping Korean traditions alive in her family. Kathleen Choi was born and raised in New York City and now lives in the Boston area. Sook Nyul Choi is the author of the award-winning Year of Impossible Goodbyes, an autobiographically based novel telling her dramatic escape from North Korea to South Korea in the aftermath of World War II. The first in a trilogy, the two subsequent volumes, Echoes of the White Giraffe and Gathering of Pearls, tell her story of defying odds to eventually win a scholarship and emigrate to the United States. In addition to her novels, she has written three children's books: Halmoni and the Picnic, Yunmi and Halmoni's Trip, and The Best Older Sister. Giving Thanks with Halmoni is her latest collaboration with her daughter, Kathleen. Sook Nyul Choi lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Il Sung Na is the author-illustrator of many books for children, including A Book of Sleep; Bird, Balloon, Bear; That's My Carrot; and A Book of Babies, all of which received at least one starred review. He also illustrated Beautiful Noise, The Music of John Cage written by Lisa Rogers. The New York Times noted that Na "brings fresh energy to the familiar." Originally from South Korea, Na studied illustration at Kingston University in London and now lives in Kansas City with his wife, where he spends time teaching illustration courses at the Kansas City Art Institute.