
Member Reviews

This was a delight to read. I loved that it showed the love between a grandmother and her grandchild, as the grandmother shows the grandchild how to make kimchi. The author did a great job of showing the process through a child’s eyes, including an element that was a bit of a mystery for the child.
The pictures were beautiful and reflected the warmth of the story. I also loved the repetition of a phrase throughout the book, making the book more memorable for children.

What a fun book! Besides the fact that I love Kimchi, reading how the Grandmother showed the child the traditional way to make it was really fun. I'm excited to create a lesson around it with my students. Maybe we can even make some Kimchi. They will love the descriptive words.

This is a beautiful picture book bursting with color and creativity! Young readers will enjoy the gentle mayhem and mild spookiness as characters dig holes and dream of ghostly cabbages, older readers will enjoy figuring out the culinary mystery and staying one step ahead of the story, and caregivers will be thankful for the pronunciation guide at the beginning and intrigued by the additional information provided about kimchi and kimjang at the end.
Perfect for reading at a farmer's market or community center where people of all ages can share not only this story but their own memories of community and culinary traditions. Thank you to NetGalley for access to this delicious arc!

Cute! I really adored the progression of how the "mystery" developed and eventually got solved with time and exploration. This definitely made this book well-rounded and 100% interesting. I also liked the illustrations because they were so beautiful in very well-done watercolors. Somehow, the illustrator also played with light while working with these watercolors, which was pleasing to the eye and super impressive. Lastly, this book is very unique - in the best way. There aren't a lot of diverse books out there, especially not ones about kimchi or the making of it. Choi definitely brought a fresh taste to the world of kids' books by writing this book, and I feel that kids will enjoy reading this book. They might even want to read it more than once. Even though rereading this book would take away the surprise of the mystery being solved, there is still so much to this book. Even further, Choi so seamlessly teaches readers about a lot of cool things that are involved in the making of kimchi.

Keo's Halmoni, his grandmother, comes to visit to teach him now to make one of his favorite foods, kimchee.
It involves a huge clay pot and a deep hole to bury the pot in once the cabbage is prepared. Time passes by
until the day Halmoni informs the family it's time to uncover the pot. Homemade kimchee, prepared with love,
is the best!
#SlipperySpicyTingly #LernerPublishingGroup #CarolhodaBooks #NetGalley

This love letter to family and kimchi was such a pleasure to read. Keo investigates a mysterious treasure that his grandmother has buried in his backyard. Along the way, his family works together to prepare a winter batch of kimchi. It would be a fun introduction to a new food for a kiddo who hasn't tried kimchi before.
Calling it a mystery feels like a bit of an overstatement because Halmoni is pretty explicit from the first page that she's there to make kimchi, but kids can be over excitable, so I'll suspend disbelief for the sake of a sweet story.

Thank you to NetGalley along with the publisher for the eARC! A fun story about a boys love for kimchi and the process that goes into making Kimchi. This is a great multi-cultural read and I think readers will enjoy learning about this process.

I really enjoyed reading this fictional story based on the real ritual of making "winter kimchi". Not knowing much about kimchi, my children and I found the process fascinating and we are all looking forward to purchasing some kimchi to try in the near future! The story prompted great discussions with my children about different cultures and what foods they eat and why. "Slippery, Spicy, Tingly" would make a great addition to a home or school library and I can see so many different ways for it to be used- to discuss cultures, foods around the world, adjectives, and more!

This is a heartwarming story about sharing food and time between generations. Halmoni is kooky and sweet, and I enjoyed her relationship between her and her grandson. He was very invested in the mystery of her hidden kimchi treasure.

Never have I ever, eaten Kimchi. Now I have to try this traditional dish. Yangsook Choi's book "Slippery, Spicy, Tingly A Kimchi Mystery" will make a great read aloud. I can't wait to hear the musical stylings of author Yangsook Choi (hoping for a video on youtube) or others reading aloud of this book as they share it with their readers. Please Lerner Books make an audiobook version. This story has suspense, innocence, curiosity, and wonder. When I was a little girl, I made up a. song about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I can appreciate the main character Keo's kimchi song. His grandmother Halmoni has a song fro preparing kimchi too. Only the best food deserves being set to music. The end notes were helpful and informative. I appreciated the phonetic pronunciation guide for the Korean words found in the front of the book. I only wish the character Keo's name was in the guide as well. Whether a person eats or even likes kimchi we can all appreciate how important traditions and traditional food are to a culture. What a great book to open up a dialogue about traditional food and traditions we celebrate in our own homes. This book could also be a good introduction to making up songs about our favorite foods. I highly recommend.

I really liked this picture book. It was unexpectedly quirky and funny. It was also very sweet.
Keo has an eccentric grandmother halmoni who visits out of the blue from far away. She’s going to make special kimchi, she says, and she mentions a treasure. Keo has no idea what’s going on or what she’s talking about but he’s very interested in the treasure.
Preparations are made, a mysterious hole is dug, a giant clay jar and produce are bought and the family sings and prepares a ton of kimchi. Then, as quickly as she came, she was gone!
The story skips into the winter and halmoni calls. It’s time for the kimchi. It was buried in the mysterious hole and preserving.
Keo and his family enjoy eating every last bit over time. When he gets to the bottom of the jar he sees a special note that halmoni wrote telling Keo that he is her treasure!

Slippery, Spicy, Tingly is a Kimchi Mystery that follows Keo as he questions why his grandmother is digging a hole in the backyard. The illustrations in this book were so fun and unique, I loved the portrayal of kimchi.
This is a beautiful story filled with Korean culture and I loved every second of it. It’s a sweet story about the bond between a child and his grandmother. I also loved the tastiness of the food and the background with the cultural aspect. I would definitely recommend this for young readers!
🌱 🥬 🌱 🥬 🌱 🥬 🌱 🥬 🌱 🥬 🌱 🥬
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with access to read this book!

I received an ARC of “Slippery, Spicy, Tingly: A Kimchi Mystery” by Yangsook Choi from NetGalley, Lerner Publishing Group, and Carolrhoda Books in exchange for an honest review.
Choi’s book is absolutely delightful. As I read the story of Keo and how his Halmoni (grandmother) arrived at his house during autumn to make kimchi, I had a smile plastered all over my face after reading the author’s wisecracks about Halmoni—using the spicy kimchi to compare it to the grandmother. The author did a beautiful job not just writing this book, but illustrating it as well.
Kimchi, including kimjang, is so important in Korean culture, including the Korean diaspora. However, it’s also increasingly important to the world at large as well. This is a beautiful story that is matched by the equally beautiful illustrations. I hope this book will appear in libraries around the country!

I enjoyed this unique story about a child's connection to their grandmother and their culture via a tasty food staple in Korean cuisine. The artwork is lovely and gentle, and the background is very informative. I can easily see using this in storytime.

**Thank you for the ARC!! All opinions are completely my own.** 4 stars. Heartwarming story and cute illustrations.

My father lived in Korea for a couple of years so I was introduced to Kimchi in my youth. I LOVED this book. The funny grandmother warmed my heart just knowing that she was preparing this special food to show love to her family. The book walked the reader through the process of making kimchi and the community and culture that surrounded the practice. I would definitely read this with my children to expand their worldview.

An absolutely sweet story! I loved how the grandmother made the effort to show her grandson that she loved him, but in her own unique way.

Such a sweet, tender, and heartwarming story about grandparent-grandchild love. I LOVE the illustrations and super senior Halmoni. Overall a very cute children's book!

This book is fantastic for kids. It teaches about traditional kimchee making in the form of a kids mystery that's sweet and adorable. The art work is gorgeous and I highly recommend if you have kids. After finding this book I discovered the author has more books, and I can't wait to look into it and read a few more of them.

"Cabbages salted, sleeves rolled up, seasonings slathered, hearts warmed up"
Informative story about kimjang, a widespread tradition in Korea that has evolved for centuries. This book not only expertly describe this process, but highlights the unbreakable family bond and unconditional love between Keo and his halmoni (grandma). The illustrations are vibrant and well done!