Joo Hong has been waiting SO LONG for her grandmother's visit, and she wants to present her with a perfectly ripened persimmon . . . but all the fruit that Joo's worked so hard to make nice keeps changing, and now it's ugly and wrinkled. Will the long-awaited visit be ruined?

This is a sweet story about longing, and preparations, and, yes, love - with simple yet evocative illustrations by the author. It's just a lovely tale!

Hannah Chung’s The Most Perfect Persimmon is a lovely, heartwarming and easy read. I love the cute and softly coloured illustrations that are filled with marvellous details.

Little Joo Hong is excited to see her Grandma who is coming to visit from far away. As a special gift for Grandma, Joo Hong harvests many beautiful persimmons from her backyard. However, as time passes and Grandma’s visit is so far away, Joo Hong’s persimmons begin to lose their beauty. What can she do to save them for Grandma’s visit? And, will the outcome be better than expected?

This is such a moving, gentle, and easy-to-read story! I both laughed and sympathised with Joo Hong as she struggled to get the perfect persimmons. I think it’s a quite relatable story for all ages because who doesn’t want things to go perfectly and then get despondent when things go wrong? But, there’s a simple and sweet happy ending with a great lesson. Maybe, the unexpected may lead you to something wonderful!

I love learning about different cultures and peoples so I really enjoyed that aspect of this book. Chung lovingly presents three generations of Korean women as well as her own personal story as a lovely little author’s note at the end of the book. I love a good persimmon but I had no idea about the Korean tradition of well-ripened persimmons (hongshis!).

I love the adorable and soft artwork. Chung is so talented by weaving together a lovely story with such eyecatching illustrations! Joo Hung is super cute with her pigtails and darling round face. She has so many wonderful expressions-she’s a real character! It’s a small detail but I love how Joo Hong’s clothes changed over time. I especially enjoyed the nature scenes with the stunningly different colours as well as all the amazing little details like the dragonflies and the hungry magpie. The persimmons and persimmon tree are so beautiful. However, for me, the real star is the perfect chubby cat that sneaks into many frames!

Thank you to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for this book in exchange for an honest review.



🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 out of 5 persimmon trees!

I really loved this story and the cultural messages that come through the story.

It is really well written and has a lovely flow to the story.

The illustrations in the book are great and they bring the story to life.

I loved the family tradition too and that it will continue for years to come.

It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended!

I loved this tale! Based on the author's own experience, I loved the message that when it looked perfect, it didn't taste great - and when it no longer looked great that was when it tasted the best! You can't always judge things by their outsides.

What a sweet book, the girl grows the perfect persimmon for her grandma, she cant wait to present her with the labour of her love.
I loved the illustrations and found the story to be very gentle and compelling.

Hannah Chung, debuting as author and illustrator with The Most Perfect Persimmon has crafted together this tender story on how love recognizes our efforts. This Korean American girl wants only the best for her beloved Grandma and she cherishes the fruit that makes their time all the more enjoyable and something to look forward to.

Chung’s artwork from its cover–featuring a happy and focused little Joo Hong– to the artwork spread across the pages is bright, expressive and stands out on the pages with white backgrounds.I love the color that accompanies certain scenes like the spots of color behind the little girl on the pages earlier on showing her waiting on the fruit to ripe. I also really, really love the opening page that I mentioned in my first paragraph of the review with the branches of the persimmon tree with all its main character energy taking up most of the space of the page.

The Most Perfect Persimmon places a spotlight on a heartfelt story about three generations of Korean women and how food, traditions and the world around us bring us together. I LOVE stories about grandmas, their wisdom and how they make our lives better. As someone whose Grandmothers have already passed on , reading such a book from Hannah Chung makes me think back fondly on what food traditions I had with one of my own Grandmas–and why I treasure those memories so.


Read more here:

https://carriemcclain.medium.com/review-the-most-perfect-persimmon-is-a-heartfelt-tribute-to-korean-grannies-beloved-950a6893dc4d

A heartwarming picture book about a young girl’s harvest for the most perfect persimmons in time for her grandmother’s visit. There is a great balance of text and illustrations on each page and I can see this a great read-aloud for older readers in the fall, especially during the fall and Mid-Autumn Festival. I loved reading the author’s note about her inspiration for the story and the persimmons she shares with her own grandmother.

This cute book tells the story of a little girl who is so excited for her grandmother to visit. She takes care of a persimmon tree, watering it and checking regularly to see if the fruit will be ready in time for grandma’s visit. Unfortunately the fruit ripened too early and she is sad that she cannot save it for her grandmother. Little did Joo Hong know, the inside was still perfect inside. I love that this book teaches about Korean culture and that the reminder that things may look one way on the outside but can be perfect inside is a really great one. I would recommend this book. I could definitely see myself reading this to my class, and this would make an excellent addition to my classroom library. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this beautiful book.

Ahh, why is this kids book making me cry! This was such a sweet story about a kid not wanting things to change and not wanting to disappoint their grandmother. The illustrations in this book were marvelous, I want to bask in the colors. The illustrations gave the book warmth. I wish my grandmother could give me a welcome treat like Joo gets.


Thanks to Astra Young Readers and NetGalley for this ARC.

Grandma is coming to visit, and Joo Hong has the best gift to welcome her home: a delicious, perfectly ripe persimmon. But as time passes, the persimmons become dark and mushy, and Joo Hong is crestfallen. But, when Grandma arrives, she teaches Joo Hong about persimmons, and about how we show care to one another.

And now I wish I had the space for another fruit tree! I’m used to persimmons prepared in a Persian manner, but the idea of a mushy, silky persimmon, in the Korean style, now has me quite intrigued. I enjoyed the little note at the end of the book, explaining the tradition of gifting hongshi (perfectly ripe persimmons), and the author’s memories of receiving them from her own grandmother.

The artwork is expressive, especially for Joo Hong. Her varying emotions really come through. There’s a bit more whitespace than I like to see in a picture book, so that did give this a bit of a penalty, down to just 4 stars. Still, this is a great pick for the Fall season, or for preparing a child for a beloved visitor.

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book. I loved the Most Perfect Persimmon! Persimmons are common where we live and I know our customers will love to read about a family spending the time to foster the most perfect persimmon!

Cute! I really liked how cultural this book was! It's perfect for all kids to read, and they will definitely learn about either their own culture or someone else's culture. I even learned some stuff! The illustrations were perfect. They were simplistic, yet still detailed enough where the story became full-bodied through both words and illustrations. There was also a very clear plot, and the story flowed nicely and smoothly.
Perfect book, I loved it!

A very wholesome story about a girl waiting for her grandmother and wanting to present her with the most perfect persimmon. This gave the reader a nice glimpse into another culture and food traditions. The illustrations are stunning.

This book brought me so much joy! Firstly, the story is so wholesome and cute, but the absolute best part about this picture book is the art. The illustrations are adorable and the characters are so expressive - the cat included. Absolutely loved it!

I really liked this sweet picture book about a young girl waiting for her grandma. The illustrations and words were very enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this book, I think it'll be a great addition to any library. Very sweet story line.

Joo Hong is taking care of their persimmon tree. She’s so excited that she eats one before it’s ripe. She can’t wait to share perfect persimmons with her grandma when she comes.

Joo Hong works hard to water and care for the tree until at last it’s time to harvest the fruit! They’re all perfect but grandma won’t be coming until a little later. The persimmons start to darken and change until they’re definitely no longer perfect.

When grandma arrives, Joo Hong can’t help but cry. She tried so hard. Grandma shows her they’re delicious this way. The persimmons have become hongshis.

I love how sweet this book is. A nice glimpse into another culture and a ripened fruit I never would have thought to try!

This was a little long for a children’s book, but the storyline was cute and the illustrations were beautiful. The use of orange hues throughout the book was especially striking.

Having lived in Asia for two years, my family learned about what makes the perfect persimmon, and we devoured this tale. We loved the illustrations and the message of being patient, while also dealing with disappointment,

Really sweet book. I loved how she had such a connection with her Grandma and wanted a perfect persimmon for her. I also like that the book showed us insight on another culture.