No Kimchi For Me!

Yoomi is a little cat who doesn’t like eating kimchi. Her brothers mock her for this and refuse to let her play with them. She tries very hard to eat kimchi with foods she does enjoy, like pizza and ice cream, but her plan doesn’t work. She still doesn’t like the taste. Finally, Grandma saves the day by having Yoomi cook with her and make a kimchi pancake. Not only can Yoomi eat kimchi this way, her brothers want to have some, too. The book ends with happy cats playing, an empty plate, and a recipe for kimchi pancakes.

I really wanted to like this book more. The pictures are adorable and filled with little details. The ending is nice, with Grandma helping Yoomi cook. I just didn’t like how the brothers were so mean to Yoomi. She only tries to eat kimchi because they won’t play with her. I wish the cultural notes on the last page had been incorporated into the story so that Yoomi was trying kimchi for a better reason. I like that there is a kimchi pancake recipe. It would be nice if there were a recipe for kimchi, too.