Story First: Using Children's Books to Explore Korean Culture & Identity

Once again I participated in a National Association of Korean Schools teachers conference - the second in a week - this one the New England chapter, in North Andover, MA. (It's a complete coincidence that I did them back-to-back; this invitation came through another Korean acquaintance.) Annual gatherings like the two I attended offer teachers (mostly volunteers) from across a region the chance to connect and to gain new knowledge, skills and inspiration to improve the effectiveness of their instruction.

Korean schools usually meet on Saturdays or on Sunday afternoons after church, when Korean American families bring their children to study reading, writing and speaking as well as to learn more about Korean culture. The schools also attract families formed by interracial adoption or marriage, and a surprising new trend is non-Korean teens showing up motivated to learn the language based on their love of K-pop and anime!

It's interesting to note the similarities in the two events: Korean churches as venues; a preponderance among teachers of recent immigrants whose first language is Korean, rather than 2nd- or 3rd-generation members; and opening with the singing of both the "Ae-guk-ga" - the Korean national anthem, and "The Star- Spangled Banner". These traits seem typical of that segment of the Korean American community whose adult members are foreign-born; it's Korean-language-based, centers around Protestant churches, and claims both Korean and American allegiance.

My presentation (in Korean again, but this one benefited from last week's warm-up) focused on using books in Korean language school classrooms to help children absorb culture, strengthening their connection to Korea and their bicultural identities. I featured two of my titles, The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea, and What Will You Be, Sara Mee? by Kate Aver Avraham, which I illustrated, as examples of how books can be used, and shared a list of titles, most by Korean American authors, for further exploration.

Some recommended books on Korean culture

Preschool - 2nd grade

Bae, Hyun-Ju, New Clothes for New Year's Day

Park, Linda Sue, Bee-bim Bop!

Schoettler, Joan, Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth

Older Elementary (3rd-6th grade)

Park, Linda Sue, A Single Shard; Seesaw Girl; The Kite Fighters; & Archer’s Quest 

Middle/High School

Kim Dong Hwa, The Color of Earth, The Color of Water, and The Color of Heaven  (graphic novels)

Some recommended books on the Korean American experience

Preschool - 2nd grade

Park, Frances, Good-Bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong

Older Elementary (3rd-6th grade)

Han, Jenny, Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream

Yoo, Paula, Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story

Middle/High School

Lee, Marie G., Necessary Roughness & Finding My Voice

Na, An, Wait for Me 

Woo, Sung J., Everything Asian

Yoo, David, Girls for Breakfast

Yoo, Paula, Good Enough 

Questions for discussion: 

How are the characters like you? Different from you? 

How was being Korean an asset for the character? A challenge? 

Did you learn anything cool about Korean culture or about being Korean? 

Books on Korean Subjects - Older Teen to Adult

This is the fifth and final installation of my list of recommended books on Korean subjects.

Contemporary Koreans & Korean-Americans

Free Food for Millionaires by Min-jin Lee

Life in hip NYC with a modern 22-year-old Korean-American feminist struggling with jobs, money and love.

Happy Birthday or Whatever: Track Suits, Kim Chee, and Other Family Disasters by Annie Choi

Witty, poignant memoir about mother-daughter conflict in a Korean-American family in LA.

Once the Shore: Stories by Paul Yoon

Beautifully crafted short story collection of families on a fictional Korean island, from the Japanese occupation to contemporary times.

Once They Hear My Name: Korean Adoptees and Their Journeys Toward Identity by Ellen Lee, Marilyn Lammert, and Mary Anne Hess

Riveting, honest narratives from nine adoptees who grew up in white families.

Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee

A richly detailed novel about a 28-year-old man working as a private spy in NYC, with vivid accounts of immigrant struggles and Korean-American life.

Over the Shoulder, Underkill, and Fade to Clear by Leonard Chang

Three noir novels with a disaffected Korean-American protagonist named Allen Choice (from Choi), wrestling with identity issues while investigating crimes.

Somebody's Daughter by Marie Myung-ok Lee

A 20-year-old adoptee drops out of college to undertake a difficult journey to Korea where she tries to learn Korean, look for her birth family, and find herself.

Stop Me if You’ve Heard This Before by David Yoo

Teenage angst novel about a high school student who’s gotten used to being a loser until he develops a relationship with a popular girl.

Modern History

The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim

Just-released coming-of-age novel of a young girl born at the beginning of the Japanese occupation, beautifully crafted with memorable characters.

Traditional Korea

Everlasting Empire by Yi In-Hwa

Bestseller Korean historical novel in English translation, of late Chosun Dynasty court intrigue and mystery.

The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble

Parallel and interwoven narratives of an English scholar at a modern-day academic conference in Seoul and 18th-century Crown Princess Hyegyong, whose memoir the scholar reads.

Books on Korean Subjects - Ages 12-16

Contemporary Koreans & Korean-Americans

Everything Asian: A Novel by Sung J. Woo

Just-released novel of a young Korean boy new to the U.S.; charming, funny and moving depiction of the immigrant experience.

Girls For Breakfast by David Yoo

Funny, edgy story of a boy who’s the only Asian in his Connecticut high school.

Good Enough by Paula Yoo (sister of David, above)

Humorous romance novel about a teenage girl who plays violin and may not be quite the academic over-achiever her parents expect.

Necessary Roughness by Marie G. Lee

High school football player struggling to fit in when his family moves from LA to Minnesota, clashing with his more traditional father, surviving loss and finding his way.

Wait for Me by An Na

Beautifully written novel of a high schooler’s difficult coming of age, caught between a bitter demanding mother and her own desires, alternating with passages in the voice of her younger, deaf sister.

Modern History

Year of Impossible Goodbyes; Echoes of the White Giraffe; and Gathering of Pearls by Sook Nyul Choi

Trio of poignant novels about a North Korean girl and her family - forced to flee to the south as refugees, surviving the war, and traveling to the U.S. to study, based on the author's own experience.

Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood by Richard Kim

Seven vivid scenes describing a childhood under the Japanese occupation, beautifully written.

Traditional Korea

The Color of Earth, The Color of Water, and The Color of Heaven by Kim Dong Hwa

Three gorgeous Korean graphic novels in English translation, about a young girl coming of age in a traditional Korean village, based on the author's mother's story.