Korean Mid-Autumn Festival Chuseok Books for Kids
Chuseok 추석 is the Korean name for the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Every year, the holiday is celebrated in September or October near the Autumn Equinox. Reading is a wonderful way for children to learn about this important holiday. In contrast to Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival books, Chuseok stories are harder to find in the United States. After years of searching, I’ve reviewed the best Korean Chuseok books recommended by my children and their classmates. I hope your family and school can enjoy some of these books!
Related: Where to Buy Korean Books for Kids in the United States
Best Korean Mid-Autumn Festival Books in English
These books about the Korean Mid-Autumn Festival are wonderful for home, preschool, and elementary school classrooms.
Best children’s book about Korean Chuseok and other festivals
Korean Celebrations: Festivals, Holidays, and Traditions
In this beautifully illustrated book, Korean American author Tina Cho gives a kid-friendly overview of Chuseok and the unique Mid-Autumn Festival traditions. In addition, the Korean Lunar New Year and other holidays are explained with exciting details.
Best picture book about Korean Chuseok for kids
Talented author-illustrator Uk-Bae Lee shows how Chuseok is celebrated in a Korean family. A simple sentence on each page makes room for detailed illustrations, revealing the story of a little girl, Sori, who journeys from the city to the countryside to visit her grandparents to celebrate the special harvest moon.
Look for this hard-to-find book at the library or second-hand copies on Amazon.
Best chapter book about Korean Chuseok for kids
Mindy Kim and the Mid-Autumn Festival
Lyla Lee’s popular series features a Korean American girl, Mindy, who learns how to celebrate her heritage with her dad, stepmom, and friends.
This story is a little heavier than the others in the series. Mindy attends her grandfather’s funeral in Korea while also celebrating Korean Chuseok traditions. Since Mindy’s stepmother is Chinese American, Mid-Autumn Festival traditions are also featured.
Amidst the grief, the family is determined to make the holiday special. For Mindy Kim, this is a time of growth and connection.
Best creative folktale about Korean Chuseok
Originally written in Korean, this creative story was inspired by the classic Moon Rabbit 달토끼 (daltokki) folktale and translated into English.
As the legend goes, the moon melts during one hot night. An anthropomorphic “Granny” notices and collects each drop, turning them into refreshing moon popsicles for everyone to enjoy. There’s just one problem: the Moon Rabbits have lost their moon home, but Granny uses her wisdom to solve the dilemma.
Recommended: 10 Marvelous Moon Phase Crafts and Activities
Best Chuseok Mid-Autumn Festival Books in Korean
If you’re raising multilingual children, read these books in Korean to foster a deeper connection with the culture.
Best children’s book about Korean songpyeon
추석 전날 달밤에
On the night before Chuseok, a Korean family begins to prepare for the harvest moon festival. As the full moon rises, they make delicious songpyeon 송편 together. Gorgeous illustrations of the family and pastel rice cakes shaped like mini crescent moons grace each page of this heartwarming story.
You can also enjoy the lovely Korean narration of this Mid-Autumn Festival story on YouTube!
Best picture book about Korean Chuseok for kids
솔이의 추석 이야기
It’s always wonderful to read books in an author’s native language! This is the Korean edition of Sori’s Harvest Moon recommended above. Several Korean narrations are also available on YouTube, and our favorite is the lightly animated version linked in the button.
Best creative folktale about Korean Chuseok
달 샤베트
달 샤베트 is the original Korean edition of the Moon Pops story recommended above. Enjoy the gorgeous mixed-media artwork, creative story, and lovely Korean narration on YouTube.
Try this: Fun Ways to Teach Kids Korean with Hangul Letter Toys
What are your favorite Korean Mid-Autumn Festival books?
Please share your Chuseok book recommendations below. We’d love to learn from your experience! We hope that authors will be able to publish new Korean Mid-Autumn Festival books in the future.
More ways to celebrate Korean Chuseok with kids
