Bee-bim Bop!
A Multicultural Book Walk
Quick Facts:
Park, L.S. (2005). Bee-bim bop!. New York, NY: Clarion Books.
Genre: Children's Literature (Fiction)
Age Range: Kindergarten - 1st Grade
Topic/Theme: Families, cooking, togetherness, multiculturalism
Genre: Children's Literature (Fiction)
Age Range: Kindergarten - 1st Grade
Topic/Theme: Families, cooking, togetherness, multiculturalism
Bee-bim Bop! by labrinakelly
Author: Linda Sue Park
Linda Sue Park was born in Urbana, Illinois in 1960 and grew up near Chicago. As can be seen in many of her stories, Park has strong ties to Korean culture because her parents were Korean immigrants to America. She has been writing since she was 4 years old and was first published when she was only 9 years old! She graduated with a degree in English from Stanford University and traveled and worked at various writing-related jobs until in 1990 she decided she wanted to write children's books. She worked as a food journalist and food makes an appearance in almost all of her stories. She currently lives in western New York and has written many wonderful children's books including Bee-bim Bop!
Illustrator: Ho Baek Lee
Ho Baek Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea. He studied graphic design and communications and went on to establish his own publishing company out of Seoul called Jaimimage. He still lives in Seoul with his wife and son.
Awards/Honors Received
2005 New York Public Library, 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
2006 Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year
2006 Kansas State Reading Circle Recommendation
2006 Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year
2006 Kansas State Reading Circle Recommendation
Applicable Standards
RL.K.1 - With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RL.K.3 - With prompting and support, identify characters, settings and major events in a story.
RF.K.2c - Recognize and produce rhyming words.
RL.K.3 - With prompting and support, identify characters, settings and major events in a story.
RF.K.2c - Recognize and produce rhyming words.
Objectives
- Students will identify characters and settings from the text.
- Students will outline several main events from the story.
- Students will produce at least 3 new words that rhyme with a pair of rhyming words from the story with a partner.
Classroom Connection:
The story includes many values the family and Korean culture hold, which many students in my class may share. I would have them discuss as a large group connections they have to the following:
I would have my students identify the characters, their roles, the settings, and main events in the story through think-pair-sharing.
Students would work with a partner and after being given a set of rhyming words from the story, they would come up with at least 3 additional words that rhyme with the set.
- The concept of family and togetherness, a topic important among many cultures.
- The family (specifically mother and daughter) values cooking a traditional meal together and sharing it with multiple generations in their family.
- The story also includes a moment where they pray together before eating.
I would have my students identify the characters, their roles, the settings, and main events in the story through think-pair-sharing.
Students would work with a partner and after being given a set of rhyming words from the story, they would come up with at least 3 additional words that rhyme with the set.
Criteria for High Quality Multicultural Literature
- Be rich in cultural details: The dish prepared by the mother and daughter is a traditional Korean meal. They go shopping together and have traditional Korean artwork in the house. The mother and daughter are depicted accurately as far as physical characteristics and having multiple generations eat together around the table sharing a meal is definitely culturally accurate.
- Honor and celebrate diversity as well as common bonds in humanity: This story celebrates diversity by having a traditional Korean meal prepared for dinner, but also displays the relationships the family members have and values they hold which bond many cultures who have similar relationships and values.
- Themes and social issues are consistent and accurately depict values and traditions of the represented group: Korean culture is deeply rooted in religion, respect for elders, living in homes with multiple generations, and family values. These are shown in the book through both the author and illustrator's use of events and images that the family goes through throughout their day.