Tomorrow Is New Year's Day: Seollal, a Korean Celebration of the Lunar New Year

by Aram Kim

From Korean American author-illustrator Aram Kim, Tomorrow is New Year's Day follows a little girl sharing the fun customs of Seollal—the Korean Lunar New Year—with her classmates.

Seollal, the Korean Lunar New Year, is Mina’s favorite day of the year.

Mina can't wait to share the customs of Seollal with all of her friends at school. She will show her classmates her colorful hanbok, demonstrate how to do sebae, and then everyone will make tasty tteokguk in the cooking room. Yum! Her little brother may even join in on the fun… if he can find a way out of his bad mood.

In this joyful book about sharing age-old cultural celebrations with new friends, Aram Kim has created a must-have book for the New Year’s season. A glossary of Korean terms, with pronunciation guide, is included.

Genres: Picture Books, Holiday, Cultural, Asian Literature, Asia, Family, Food

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 27, 2022

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully educational. Rounded up because the bit of drama in the middle, the nod to a narrative 'story' that makes this fiction instead of non-fiction, is related to the delightful author bio on the back flap. I do wish I could hear the words... maybe there's an audio book; I'll check. Also most of the words, including Seollal, are new to me though I've read many books about Lunar New Year. And there are instructions for making a paper 'money bag' included both in the book and on the website aramkim.com. The website has *lots* of wonderful resources. I will look for more by the author. Highly recommended to parents and other educators.

Edit! No audiobook, but a video guide to pronouncing the words!! Lovely!

[Catarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to celebrate a lunar new year. Loved that in the back of the book they also had how to pronounce certain words. It was a very informative book and made to be a fun children’s book.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mina and her family teacher her class at school about Seollal traditions.

A great introduction to some typical activities and foods of the Korean Lunar New Year celebration. Aram Kim brings touches of believability to the problems faced along the way (like Mina's little brother pitching a fit because his outfit is itchy...and Aram shares in the back of the book how this reflects her own childhood). I like how Mina's family open their home to anyone who wants to join their celebration for real the next day. We have loads of books on Chinese celebrations of Lunar New Year but very few Korean versions, so I'm happy we can add this to our library.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really cute and I like how this is framed around the classroom to teach the different aspects of Seollal.

[Tina Cho · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the story, Mina shares traditions of Seollal with her class. They learn jegi-chagi (like a hackey sack game) bangpe-yeon (kites), sebae (bowing for money), wearing a hanbok, yutnori (game), and making tteok-guk or rice cake soup. But Mina gets upset when her little brother spoils her day.

I can’t wait to use this book to teach my current class about Lunar New Year. (January 22, 2023!) Living in Korea for 10 years, allowed me to experience the wonderful holiday. I try to keep up with the traditions with my own children. Thank you, Aram, for writing & illustrating this book! And thank you, Farrar Strauss Giroux for my review copy!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seollal [soul-all] is the Korean name for Lunar New Year's Day. "Literally, it means 'unfamiliar day.' Soellal is one of the biggest holidays celebrated in Korea along with Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving." I would give the story itself three stars -- it's perfectly decent but nothing that really grabbed me. However, bonus points for the educational value for those of us looking to know more about Korean traditions of Lunar New Year. I also really appreciate the warm, inclusive vibe with classmates of various backgrounds all supportive and interested in learning from Mina and her family about their traditions. There's also an excellent Glossary at the back, including pronunciation guide. The illustrations are vibrant and expressive in a cartoony way (reminds me very much of anime). Don't miss the author's bio on the back flap and the charming tie-in with the story proper. There's also a tutorial at the beginning on how to fold a paper bokjumoni (a lucky bag).

[joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a tiny bit late with this read but I finally got a copy of "Tomorrow is New Year's Day, Seollal, a Korean Celebration of the Lunar New Year" and thought it was very cute and a great way to introduce the Korean Lunar New Year with little children and even non-Koreans!

Loved the cute illustrations, the colorful details in the hanbok, the bangpe-yeon (kites), sebae (bowing before elders), sebae-don (miss this tradition!), how to make tteokguk (yum!), yutnori, the children enjoying the tteokguk, and the Seollal celebrations. I love how Ms. Kim included a tteokguk recipe and instructions on how to make a paper bokjumoni! A wonderful addition to any teachers!

I don't really celebrate the Korean Lunar New Year anymore but it is nice to reintroduce some of the traditions with my family! I can't wait to share this with my nephew and future children!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl brings her family to school to share Seollal ("soul-all") with all her classmates! Together they learn about the clothing, games, food, and other traditions. When Appa and younger brother Miro finally join Mina and Umma at school, Miro is wailing and refusing to put on his hanbok.

I love that they included this tantrum, and the dad staying back to help Miro calm down. This is a part of daily life for so many kids - either struggling themselves or watching a younger sibling struggle like Mina does. Expressing and managing emotions are skills we develop with practice. It's okay that it's still difficult for little people.

But, once Mina's classmates see Miro's hanbok and tell him they love it and wish they had one, he calms down and shows off a little.

A bit of a longer read with a great introduction to Seollal built into the story. 2-4 sentences per page.

[J.D. Holman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're doing this as a read-aloud, whether with your own child or with a class, read the glossary in the back first, so you're not stumbling over pronouncing the Korean words.

Representation in books matters, and the Korean-American girl in one of my elementary classes was over the moon (pun not intended) that I read this to her class. A few days ago, she had worn her hanbok and taught her class about the Korean lunar new year, with help from her dad. She was very excited to interject additional information about certain parts.

If you don't have a student who directly relates to the culture, this is still a fun way to learn about a different holiday.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/10/24 ~ An introduction to the Lunar New Year, as celebrated by a U.S. based family with Korean roots. The first half of the book focused on several Korean-specific traditions as recounted by the main character. The second half focused on her family visit to her classroom, where she shared those traditions with her classmates.

Though the characters felt flat, and the recitation of the traditions felt lifeless, the illustrations (and recalcitrant younger brother) brought life to the book. I appreciated the focus on one families observance of the Lunar New Year, as informed by the traditions of their country of heritage.

[Hannah Bae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly delightful! I've been a fan of Aram Kim's work for years now, despite not being a parent myself. As a Korean American reader and illustrator, I just find her illustrations and storytelling so very charming. It's moving to me to see traditions like these committed to the pages of an American storybook. The evocative details -- playing yut nori, the itchy feeling of hanbok! -- reminded me of memories I'd thought were long forgotten. I'm so excited to share this book with young readers of all backgrounds in my life!

[Sylvia Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a charming picture book! With an upbeat and friendly voice, playful directions and explanations, and expressive onomatopoeia, this book shines for providing a fun, kid-centric intro to Seollal (Korean Lunar New Year's celebration), including Korean traditions such as games, customs, food, items, and outfits. I love how it covers taking pride in your family's heritage as well as learning from shared cultural experiences. And older sibling readers will relate to how younger sibling outbursts can turn out okay. Highly recommended!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seollal, or Korean Lunar New Year, is Mina's most favorite day. Her and her family will get to share all about it with her class. Her whole family gets dressed up in beautiful hanboks (to her little brother's dismay) and her mom shows them how to not only make tteokgook, but they also get to eat some as well!

This is a lovely book about sharing one's culture with our friends, especially in a fun school setting.

I personally loved how the little brother hated wearing the itchy hanbok! My boys were the same!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

3-4 sentences per page. Bright illustrations with details for hanbok and food that were really pretty. Instructions on how to fold a paper bokjumoni inside and a glossary of Korean words in the back was neat. A story of a Korean girl having her whole family share their Seollal traditions with her class, like clothes, games, and food. It also shows her struggling with her younger brother’s attitude towards the hanbok but seeing it resolved by her classmates’ help. The book shows readers step-by-step how to do sebae and how to make tteokguk.

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars (I really liked it)

I love how this book shows a Korean Celebration of the Lunar New Year. My school does a "Chinese New Year" celebration every year and I'm trying to nudge them to change it to Lunar New Year. This might help...
Anyway, I didn't know anything about Seollal so it was nice to learn about it in this book. I also found the drama with the little brother to be funny and relatable. I'm definitely going to be purchasing this book for my school's collection!

[Paola Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isrecommendedfor any student ages 4-8 years old. This is a nice way to introduce a new holiday to other students. Seollal is lunar New years Day in Korea. Minas favorite day of the year. Her family visit the classroom to show the students the traditions tradition they celebrate. All the students are happy learning about seollal, they are so happy learning how to bow to show respect for their elders, learning about games and food. Minas peers saw that her brother did not want to wear his hanbok an thy encouraged him to wear it and he was happy too.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was interesting. I enjoyed learning about a holiday from a different culture but the amount of Korean throughout the book was hard to follow because the pronunciations were only provided in the back of the book. Also, in the step-by-step processes on a few pages, the author went left to right across two pages instead of filling up the left page first, then the right. That was different. I liked the colorful illustrations.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! The illustrations were really cute and I love all the bright colors. A great way to introduce a cultural celebration to younger children whether their family celebrates Seollal or if you are simply wanting to teach them about cultures other than their own. Going in the storytime rotation!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mina is excited to share information about Seolla with her classmates. Her family comes and helps with the information, games and food. Readers learn along with Mina's classmates. The colorful illustrations support the text and offer further information. A glossary is included at the end. A great addition to libraries.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful, bright book is the first book we’ve read representing Lunar New Year from the perspective of a Korean American family. We love Ms Kim’s books and they always have fun and colorful illustrations.

[Ann Suk Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Korean version of New Year 😍

I love this! My family actually does most of this on Jan 1 (especially a very lively game of yutnori,) but during lunar new year is probably more authentic!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful depiction of the traditions and customs surrounding the celebration of Seollal, the Korean celebration of the Lunar New Year. Kids will be intrigued and delighted as they learn more with Mina and her family!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family goes to the child's school to teach classmates about Lunar New Year, Seollal, the Korean celebration. It was sweet and lovely and covers the basics of the celebration including the grumpy younger brother who finds pride in sharing their family's traditions.

[Kimberly Wright Oelkers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this one to read with my kids at school.

[Vanessa Lecaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great books for littles that explains how New Year is celebrated in Korean culture. Chance for kids to learn some new traditions and vocabulary

[Kyra Hahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely picture book with nice illustrations and descriptions of Seollal and Korean customs related to lunar new year celebrations

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've ordered

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice introduction to the Korean Celebration of the Lunar New Year. I need to make sure our Korean Immersion skills are aware of the book.

[Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, lovely celebration of New Year's and to learn about Korean culture.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

borrow