Bee-bim Bop!

By Linda Sue Park and Ho Baek Lee

A Korean American girl celebrates food and family in this cheerful book about cooking a special meal by Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park.

In bouncy rhyming text, an excited and hungry child tells about helping her mother make bee-bim bop: shopping, preparing ingredients, setting the table, and finally sitting down with her family to enjoy a favorite meal.

The energy and enthusiasm of the young narrator are conveyed in the whimsical illustrations, which bring details from the artist’s childhood in Korea to his depiction of a modern Korean American family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9780547531953

Linda Sue Park

Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medal winner for A Single Shard and #1 New York Times bestseller for A Long Walk to Water, is the renowned author of many books for young readers, including picture books, poetry, and historical and contemporary fiction. Born in Illinois, Ms. Park has also lived in California, England, and Ireland. She now lives in Western New York. Learn more at lindasuepark.com.

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Reviews for Bee-bim Bop!

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

diverse picture book (food, cooking; preschool ages 2 and up)
* Features diverse characters: This is a fun, action-packed book about cooking a family meal, which incidentally stars a Korean family (2 kids, mom and dad, and grandma) making a traditional Korean dish--mom does the cooking of the title dish with help from big sis. Includes recipe at the end as well as a note explaining more about the dish (including a photo of the author with her niece and nephew making rice).
* Would work for preschool storytime, and possibly older toddlers who like to sit through stories--the text rhymes and has a quick-moving rhythm to it that repeats and becomes familiar and comforting as the story progresses. There is also some very nice, descriptive vocabulary included, making it great for preschoolers.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Newbery Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park - her historical novel for young people, A Single Shard, was chosen in 2002 - turns to the subject of bee-bim bop in this entertaining picture-book. The text follows a mother and daughter as they prepare the popular Korean dish, the mother calm and in charge, the daughter eager and very, very hungry. Eventually they are ready, and the whole family sits down to a delicious meal...With a rhyming text that reads quite well - "Almost time for supper / Rushing to the store / Mama buys the groceries - / more, Mama, more! " - and bright, colorful artwork, Bee-bim Bop! would make for an excellent read-aloud selection at story-hour. The general storyline - a mother and child prepare a favorite dish together - reminded me of Cora Cooks Pancit, which I also enjoyed. Recommended to anyone looking for food-related picture-books for younger children, or children's books featuring Korean-American families and culture.

[raineynicole · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a really cute multicultural book about korean family. The little girl is telling her mom to hurry up at the grocery store so she can eat. Fun to teach about cooking , family, cultural diversity, and sequencing events.

[booksforall-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great read-aloud book! Fun rhymes and rhythm accompany this breezy story of shopping and cooking Bi Bim Bop. Even for those who have not had the dish, the pictures of shopping and chopping vegetables will be fun for any child. For Asian American children, the book is a pleasant reinforcement of ordinary cooking experience with a parent, from the common vegetables to the common cookery and utensils involved.

[thnguyen-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A young Korean girl helping her mom make a Korean dish called Bee-bim bop. Its a good book to read to the young children because the way the words are in the book, like gotta pop pop pop and gotta chop chop chop. I think the kids will enjoy it while you're reading to them.

[ageoflibrarius · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Adorable, rhythmic book with a lot of applications for storytime: rhyme, culture, dinner, vocabulary, phonics, cooking,family, and being a helper.

[matthewbloome · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a 4-line stanza poem about the preparation of bee-bim bop, a popular Korean dish. At the end is a recipe for creating bee-bim bop. It's not a great book, but it's definitely okay for a primary audience. The recipe at the end might be fun to try.

[rgraf1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a korean girl who helps her mother cook. In the end the whole family comes to eat together. I especially liked that there is a recipe at the end of the book for the meal which has the same name as the book. A thing that I didn't like that much was the fact that it shows that only the women are responsible for cooking and the men are just coming to eat. Although it's a lovely book.

[sondrabrush1969 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story starts off when a little girl goes to the grocery store to shop with her mother. She is hungry and in a hurry to get home to cook bee bim bop. She helps her mother prepare the vegetables while her mother stars to cook on the stove. She watches in excitement as her mother finishes up. The table is set as her family sits down for the meal. I like this book, it has very catchy words in the story, almost like a chant. The best part of this book is the recipe for the Korean dish Bee Bim Bop. The children could pretend in the housekeeping area going to the grocery store with their mother and helping prepare the meal. We could also make and taste our version of Bee Bim Bop. It can also be a word association with the korean language.

[jacale19 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a Korean recipe (that is given in the book) and it exposes children to Korean culture.

[mmwrigh3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

About a little Korean girl who is making a traditional meal with her mother called bee-bim bop. They go grocery shopping together, cut the veggies and meat together, and cook the meal. Then the entire family comes together for dinner. Says Grace and eats dinner together. I think this book is precious. The recipe is even in the back of the book.

[nhritzuk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I first read this story with my 3 year old, who speaks English and Korean. She was excited to hear words like "Bi-Bim-Bop" and "kimchee" in the story. She was also able to identify the Korean word for the images throughout the story. This story is a fun one to read for young children because it turns a recipe into a rhyme and celebrates the process that goes into making a traditional dish. Bibimbop is one of my favorite Korean meals, so I will definitely be writing down the recipe that is written on the back. Although, it does sort of remind me of Baba's recipe for perogies: a pinch of this, a little of that:).

[conuly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really like the catchy text. How many bouncy ways can we rhyme with bee bim bop? (A zillion, apparently.)And I liked the recipe, and the family togetherness, and the artwork. (Note: I asked around when I cooked this, as I was short a few things, and was informed that this is one of those "meh" recipes where you don't have to be exact and can add or take away as you wish. I love those!)As an atheist/agnostic I wasn't super-thrilled with the page dealing with them saying grace, however, this is what I call a "deal with it moment". Lots of people pray, it's important to a lot of people, it's important for kids to know this sort of thing, and in the context it's just not a big deal in this book. If this is the sort of thing that concerns you, you can skip over those two pages. Just, you know, tape 'em together :P

[smmote · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a family making some kind of recipe called bee-bim-bop. They add ingredients like eggs, rice, onions, meat, garlic, and carrots. The little girl loves bee-bim bop and is anxious for it to be ready to eat. Everyone in the family (Mom, Dad, Grandmother, baby, dog) has a big appetite for bee-bim-bop that must be their special recipe.

[shelf3employed · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What does a hungry little girl want for dinner? Bee-bim bop! A little girl can hardly wait as she helps Mama purchase ingredients and prepare bee-bim bop, a traditional Korean dish, for her family. The process is as much fun as the result! Bee-Bim Bop! is a delightful story for young audiences. The text reflects the fast-paced urgency of a hungry child in an upbeat rhyming rhythm, "Hurry, Mama, hurry Gotta chop chop chop! Hungry - very hungry for some bee-bim bop!" The "Hurry, Mama, hurry" refrain is repeated often. In addition to pure fun, Bee-Bim Bop! will give children a sense of possibility and capability, "Spinach, sprouts, and carrots Each goes in a pan, Let me pour the water in Yes, I know I can!" and"Bowls go on the table Big ones striped in blue I help set the glasses out Spoons and chopsticks too." Adding interest and excitement is the concrete presentation of verbs pertaining to cooking. The "flip-flip flop" of the egg pancakes bounces in the midst of the text. "Chop chop chop" appears om a hard 45 degree slant, much as a chopping blade in motion.The book is also an excellent example of a Korean American multicultural story with its roots set firmly within the United States. The child's family, illustrated by Ho Baek Lee, has the common characteristics of Asian Americans - tan skin tones, straight black hair and a characteristic eye shape, however, the features are never exaggerated and the family is portrayed as any other typical US family, complete with a frisky dog. The grocery store and kitchen setting, as well as the clothing are typically American. The focus is on the young girl, with Mama's head frequently missing from the double-page illustrations. The dog also is featured prominently, following the young girl throughout the kitchen. The colors are bright, but realistic. The overall impression of the cheerful watercolor and pencil illustrations is one of a happy and playful family.The topic of the book, is of course, distinctively Korean American, as is the use of chopsticks. Grandma is the only family member that appears decidedly Korean, wearing a traditional garment, with her hair fixed neatly in a bun with a decorated ornament. The fact that the entire family wears slippers while indoors may also be indicative of Asian American culture. In a nod to biculturalism, the family (except the dog, who keeps one eye fixed upon the bee-bim bop!) closes their eyes and bows their heads to say grace before dinner.The book concludes with a recipe for bee-bim bop, divided into tasks for "grownups" and "you." An Author's Note explains bee-bim bop and is accompanied by a photograph of the author and her young relatives preparing dinner. This book will surely ignite a desire to hurry hurry hurry to the kitchen to make some bee-bim bop! CONNECTIONSRead Bee-Bim Bop! with The Trip Back Home by Janet S. Wong, and Ill. by Bo Jia. The Trip Back Home includes a trip to the market and the preparation of a meal in a modern, rural Korean household. Many of the ingredients mentioned are the same as those in the dish, bee bim bop. It offers an excellent example of how traditions are brought to the United States and adapted.This is an excellent choice for a public library storytime. Preschoolers will love it! Share this story with a globe. Let children find bee-bim bop's home, Korea, on the globe.