Living in . . . South Korea

January 1, 2018
Grades K-3 This rare nonfiction title devoted to South Korea is for beginning readers, and it packs a surprising amount of information into its colorful pages. Effortless, easy sentences flow as the action progresses smoothly through a child's family and home life, his school day (neatly folding in lessons on Korean history and geography), and his celebration of a special holiday. The end shows his favorite leisure activitieswhich just happen to include snowboarding, a nice segue to the 2018 Winter Olympics. The pleasantly detailed illustrations and maps align perfectly with the topics, providing additional background and clarity. Readers will encounter a great deal of unfamiliar vocabulary (mostly food), so adults may want to review new words before kids tackle the text independently. The glossary provides accessible definitions, and the last page, All about South Korea, sums up quick country facts. It will be easy for young researchers to draw comparisons between themselves and the book's narrator, and realize that their lives have a lot in common. This is a very successful undertaking, and definitely most timely.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)