No Kimchi for Me! (Yoomi, Friends, and Family)

Yoomi, a small black and white cat, enjoys most of her grandmother's cooking--"dried seaweed, tiny anchovies, soft egg omelets... even her seasoned bean sprouts"--with one exception: "Yoomi does not like stinky spicy kimchi!" Older brothers Jun and Yoon label Yoomi a baby and freeze her out of playing with them; Yoomi takes matters into her own paws, trying dollops of kimchi atop pizza and ice cream, but Grandma swoops in with a better idea: a not-too-spicy kimchi pancake. Using pencil, pastel, and digital manipulation, Kim (Cat on the Bus) creates a crisp and cozy domestic environment for her cat family; the story takes place against the backdrop of a rainy day, perhaps accounting for some of the high-running emotions. Yoomi's brothers' taunts and the specificity of her food aversion will be familiar to many readers (especially younger siblings), as will Yoomi's drive to prove that she's the "big girl" Grandma knows her to be. A kimchi pancake recipe is included, as are delectable endpapers showcasing kimchi varieties and ingredients. Ages 3-7. Agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary Studio. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 2--Their grandmother announces lunch featuring delicious Korean dishes while Yoomi and her brothers play. Yoomi enjoys grandma's dried seaweed, soft egg omelets, and even the seasoned bean sprouts, but she does not like "stinky spicy kimchi!" Her older brothers, Jun and Yoon, won't let her play with them because she's too little; "big kids eat kimchi." Despite trying various ways to mask kimchi--like on pizza or over ice cream--it is the kimchi pancakes that the child and her grandmother make together that delight Yoomi. They are delicious, enjoyed by all, and elevate Yoomi to big-kid status. The Korean family is depicted as personified cats reminiscent of the feline in Kim's first picture book, Cat on the Bus. Illustrations created in pastel and colored pencil are detailed but uncluttered, expressive, and childlike. In addition to a recipe for kimchi pancakes, beginning endpapers depict the vegetables from which kimchi is made while closing endpapers show different-plated kimchi. VERDICT This fun and engaging story about food, family, and tradition is broadly appealing as a read-aloud or read-alone selection..--Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library