Bee-bim Bop!

Adorable story, plus a recipe! Perfect choice for a new baby gift.

Remember when you were a kid and your mama made your favorite meal? You would smell it cooking and just could not wait? Well, hang on, it's time for Bee-bim bop! The little girl is part of the meal preparation from beginning to end. That is why she can sing a multitude of variations of "Hurry, hurry." Instead of waiting on the sidelines or in the den, Linda Sue Park pulls the reader along with the child and mother in this adventure in shopping, preparing, cooking, and eating Bee-bim bop, a favorite Korean dish. Ho Baek Lee, the illustrator, creates large strides in the grocery store, crazy whirlwind angles, close-ups of the girl and her dog, a colorful focus on the areas near the girl and grayed, incomplete portrayals of distant areas in the kitchen. All in all, Park features the little girl in this hurried, practiced look at Bee-bim bop preparation. In fact, mother's head sits invisibly above the picture line in most of the illustrations, which show her cooking. Why? The book is a first-person narration of the girl's excitement and an almost dizzying anticipation of a favorite dish. "Hurry, hurry, hurry," she says in many variations. It is a wonderful thing that Park gives the girl such an understanding and calm mother. In fact, this book is as much about family as it is about cooking a specific dish. The mother seems to encourage the girl's participation instead of grumpily ordering her from underfoot. As the dog mirrors the girl's every movement, she, too, is allowed her place in the story. When the food is ready, the rest of the family immediately and respectfully appear instead of of being cajoled to the dining area. And lastly, the family immediately says grace instead of being reminded. The family has an easy, settled routine. Everyone cooperates in serving, there is smiling all around. Grandmother wears a traditional Korean garment, and the prayer indicates a cohesion and unity of family through love. It is the family portrayal that makes this story so significant. Yes, the reader is presented with the fun and excitement of a favorite meal, but the display of connected family members is the crux of the story, intentionally or inadvertently. Park and Lee depict the happy family. Two more things particularly merit attention. A detailed recipe follows the story, making it an exciting possibility for cooks and little helpers to try at home. As one more piece of the puzzle of family togetherness, Park also includes a picture of herself and a niece and nephew helping her prepare Bee-bim bop. This book is such a winner in many ways. Highly recommended!

This is the cutest book...my kids (2 and 4) love the fun rhymes combined with a simple story. I love that it teaches them about another culture. They love saying the "bee bim bop" refrain at the end of the pages, which of course, is great verbal practice. So much to like about this book. I highly recommend!

I bought this for my half Korean granddaughter’s first birthday. I was so thrilled to find it in Amazon as I have loved being introduced to Korean food over the years. The illustrations are fun and the text has a nice rhythm and flow. I too, like others who have commented, fe,t the page on saying grace was out of place, but no big deal. Some families do and that’s ok to acknowledge it or just skip that page if it bothers you. I had hopes it would be a great book to go with my other gifts for her her birthday and I think it will become a favorite in their house.

Such a cute little book! Very fun, great illustrations, and a sweet recipe in the back for adult and kiddo to enjoy together. My husband is Korean, and I am not, so I LOVE finding books that can connect our daughter to her Korean roots (and books where she can see families that resemble ours - love that there’s a halmoni in the book!). My husband makes a killer bibimbap too, so I know this book will be a favorite for years to come. Many thanks to the author for such a special book to add to our library.

My 2 and 3 year olds love this book and frequently choose this from our bookshelf to read together. It is upbeat with a sing-song feel, relatable, and overall a very cute book. We used the recipe provided in the book to make our own bee-bim bop and my kids thought that was fun.

This book really put a smile on our face. It has a beat to the book so you can kinda sing-songy rap the way through it. We got the book for our cooking career theme. I wanted something not cookies and not pizza and not fried chicken... so this was perfect! The book also added in some Korean diversity to our book collection = ) I think toddlers and up will enjoy the book. There is a religious aspect in the book - they are shown to pray over their dinner and say amen at the end, but no depth of the religion is presented. BTW out of all the recipes that are in books, this is ONLY one I will actually cook and eat. Our family is on a strict gluten free diet so Asian food is really the best option for us. The recipe is at the back of the book for Bee-bim Bop. I also have the author's book called Firekeeper's Son which deals with overcoming temptation to do what is right. Its for slightly older kids but we really enjoyed it.

My friend married a korean man and is pregnant. Bought this for her at her baby shower. She almost cried and was so happy to have a book where her baby will see a child that looks like him. So so so cute. Great rhymes.

The illustrations are beautiful for little ones and it encourages to cook together with children along with learning food from Korea. A must have in a home library and also one you wont be tired of reading.

I love this book and buy it for every toddler I know. It explains the cooking process through a family oriented story, then there is a recipe at the end for you to make with your family.

I accidentally purchased this book and it is one of the happiest accidents of all time! We absolutely LOVE Bee-Bim Bop (which means mix mix rice)! My two year old asks for this book on an almost daily basis and we usually end up reading it two or three times. She loves the charming illustrations and the engaging, rhythmic storyline (and so do her parents)! This book is a perfect introduction to Korean culture and also happens to be plain old-fashioned fun! I noticed some reviewers took issue with the fact that one page in the book shows the family speaking a blessing over their meal before eating, this hardly detracts from the story and is obviously a part of the author’s own experience for which she should not be faulted. Many families say a blessing before eating, whether it be to a deity or to the earth. The back contains a recipe for Bee-Bim Bop which we plan to try very soon! Wonderful story and a worthy addition to any collection!

This is one of the most wonderful books on our shelf. I was looking for books with realistic pictures of realistic situations, that could facilitate discussions with my toddler around things we do in daily life. Not so easy to find those Montessori-approved stories. This book is excellent for this purpose! And beyond that — the poem is so sweet and catchy! We never actually had bibimbap as a family, but now we’re trying to find a place in our city to experience it!

A simple story of preparing a favorite dinner dish. The clear and bouncy rhythm makes this book fun to read and easy for my 4 year old to remember. It is her favorite book at the moment. Includes a recipe for the Bee-bim Bop dish at the end.