Did you know that November 22 is Kimchi Day? A national holiday in Korea, this chosen date is significant because there are 11 main ingredients in this traditional side dish and 22 health benefits, including vitamins, calcium, probiotics, and a boost to bodily immunity.

What better way to celebrate than by welcoming author-illustrator Yangsook Choi to talk about her latest picture book, Slippery, Spicy, Tingly: A Kimchi Mystery (Carolrhoda Books, 2024)! 🙂

In this tantalizing tale, Keo’s grandmother pays his family a surprise visit. Although she’s supposedly there to make some SPECIAL kimchi and to spend more time with Keo, he suspects Halmoni is up to something else.

It’s easy to see why. It’s not every day one’s grandmother (even a well preserved one) singlehandedly buries a humongous clay jar in the back yard. Keo is sure she must be hiding a secret treasure. After Halmoni recruits Keo and his parents to help turn a hundred heads of cabbage into spicy kimchi, she disappears as suddenly as she had arrived.

Keo waits and waits. When will Halmoni return for her treasure? Finally, she calls to tell them “it’s time” to lift the lid off the jar. Who or what is Halmoni’s true treasure?

This heartwarming, tastebud-tempting intergenerational story is flavored with good measures of humor, suspense, love, and the joy of families working together. Mouths will water at every slippery, spicy, tingly detail, as kids learn about the virtues of patience, living in harmony with nature, and honoring one’s cultural heritage.

Big thanks to Yangsook for dropping by to tell us more about making this book, the “super senior” who inspired it, and the fine art of savoring well seasoned, fiery-hot, naturally fermented kimchi. Hungry yet? 🙂

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Welcome, Yangsook! Why did you want to make a picture book about kimchi? 

I wanted to clear the air about kimchi, Korea’s iconic food, and inspire young readers to look beyond their noses and appreciate foods for their superpowers. Sure, kimchi has a strong aroma, but those aromas are its way of saying ‘I’m packed with good-for-you benefits!’ 

Please tell us about how this story evolved from your original idea to the final draft. Had you planned on a surprise visit and a mysterious buried treasure all along?

No, not at all. In an early draft of my author’s note, I wrote about my grandmother’s prized treasure: an enormous clay jar she used to bury kimchi in winter. My editor Carol Hinz was drawn to this detail and encouraged me to explore deeper beneath the surface of the kimchi’s aroma. Her insight inspired me to discover a richer, more mysterious way of how nature works its magic underground.

Natural fermentation is an incredible art that transforms ordinary vegetables into a probiotic powerhouse. Every jar of kimchi is a science lab creating gut-healthy goodness through time-honored traditions. Nature may take longer, but good things take time. Kimchi teaches us the importance of living in harmony with natural processes for better health and a thriving Earth.

Like the kimchi itself, this story needed time to ferment until its flavors fully developed. It was a great learning experience to see how slowly fermenting a story can yield deeper richness, just as with any relationship or creative work.

I love your portrayal of Halmoni, especially since this story is based on personal experience. Could you tell us more about your Halmoni? Was she as feisty and energetic as the one in the story?

My grandmother lived to be 94, blessing us with her merry spirit as strong as her body. She would delight in telling us many times how she could balance a heavy sack of rice atop her head. 

Despite many hardships, her cheerful resilience never wavered, even in her twilight years. She truly aged like fine wine.

I love how you incorporated humor in both text and pictures. Who or what makes you laugh? Can you offer any tips for tickling the funny bones of picture book readers?

Children are my laughter teachers. Through our playful moments together, I try to map the geography of their joy, learning what tickles their funny bones. To write authentically from their perspective, I need to be more than an observer—I need to be their friend.

Another help is art. I often draw first and then write accordingly. For example, if I want to write about a lunch box, I may draw it first, filling it up with emotional leftovers from the fridge— passion-filled pasta topped with mad asparagus and scared little green beans on the side.  Art can bring in humor to the spaces where language falls silent.

Using your favorite spread as an example, could you briefly explain your illustration process? Did your story change at all as you worked on the art?

From the earliest stages, certain scenes swim vividly in my mind, even before my pencil touches paper. The scene where a cabbage tickles Keo’s foot in his dream is one of them. Perhaps eating kimchi makes my creativity soar to imaginative heights. (I have many t-shirts with kimchi stains on them. I couldn’t get the stains out.)

My process begins with character studies, sketching the characters over and over again to truly know them. From there, I sketch the background, layering in details gradually. Then I paint the characters and settings separately, piece by piece. The final stage is digitally combining these pieces into cohesive scenes. 

Yes, the story changes sometimes as I work on the art. After all, a good picture book is a harmonious integration of written narrative and visual storytelling, each enriching the other.

What is your favorite type of kimchi? Besides with hot dogs, tacos, and pizza, how else do you like to eat kimchi?

My favorite type of kimchi is Chonggak Kimchi. The main vegetable in it is ponytail radish.

I like to add kimchi when I make fried rice. My mouth is watering now!

Does your family still make large batches of winter kimchi together? If so, what’s your favorite part of the process?

We make small batches, preparing no more than twenty heads of cabbage at a time. With families growing smaller over the years, Koreans now make less kimchi than before. My favorite part of the process is carefully slathering each cabbage leaf with the vibrant seasonings.

When you look back at this project, what stands out the most? What are you most proud of?

Koreans’ buried treasure!

Throughout history, people have buried more than just the dead. Vikings, pirates, and others have buried their stolen treasures like gold and jewels in secret spots. Roald Dahl was buried with two of his favorite things: pencils and chocolate. He loved them so much that he took them with him forever.

Koreans? Interestingly, Koreans’ favorite treasure to bury is not gold, it’s not jewels, it’s definitely not pencils. It’s vegetables! Koreans have been burying vegetables, and particularly cabbages. Back in the old days, the winter was harsh and cold, and people didn’t have enough to eat, especially fresh vegetables. So, before the winter came, people preserved large amounts of cabbages by burying them underground to last through the long winter. 

I’m proud of cabbages for their role in helping people survive.

What do you hope kids will take away from your story?

My hope is that eaters and readers wouldn’t judge a food by how different or strong it smells, but by how healthy it is for our bodies. I also hope the readers will think about what the real treasure is at the heart of this mystery.… Or at the very least go eat some tongue-tingling kimchi! 

Finally, please tell us a little about your other two books that came out in July.

A LETTER TO MY BEST FRIEND tells the story of a young immigrant boy who has little English writing skills and no friends yet. When given a class assignment to write a letter, he crafts a letter for his best friend back in Korea, painstakingly composing it in an unusual way. The result is extraordinary, and unexpectedly opens a door for him to make new friends.

PEACH HEAVEN is a backlist originally published in 2005. I feel very fortunate to see this story back in print, fully revised and re-illustrated, and based on a childhood experience. It is about one extraordinary day of a girl in a small town in Korea. She eagerly awaits the peach harvest, but little did she expect the well-ripe peaches to arrive by rain on her rooftop! She must hurry to help the peach farmer whose crop was lost, even if it means sneaking into his empty orchard with a gang of children.

Congratulations on all your new books, Yangsook, and thanks again for visiting us today!

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SLIPPERY, SPICY, TINGLY: A Kimchi Mystery
written and illustrated by Yangsook Choi
published by Carolrhoda Books, October 2024
Picture Book for ages 5-9, 32 pp.
*Includes Author’s Note and More Info about Kimchi
**Starred Review** from Booklist

♥️ Enjoy this suspenseful book trailer:

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🌶 SPECIAL BOOK GIVEAWAY 🥬

The publisher has generously offered a brand new copy of the book for one lucky Alphabet Soup reader. For a chance to win, please leave a comment at this post no later than midnight (EST) Tuesday, December 3, 2024. You may also enter by sending an email with KIMCHI in the subject line to: readermail (at) jamakimrattigan (dot) com. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, please. Good Luck!

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🧄 HAPPY KIMCHI DAY! 🥒

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*Interior spreads text and illustrations copyright © 2024 Yangsook Choi, published by Carolrhoda Books. All rights reserved.

**Copyright © 2024 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.