Let's Go to Taekwondo!: A Story About Persistence, Bravery, and Breaking Boards (Yoomi, Friends, and Family)

The colorful illustrations immediately engage the reader. I love the details in Yoomi’s kitchen—notes on the fridge, her drawings on the floor, plants by the window, and grandma at the table, learning to use a computer. Yoomi is dressed in her dobok (uniform), ready to go to the dojang (training hall) to learn the Korean martial art of Taekwondo. She and her class are going to take a test to earn their yellow belts. They have been training for weeks, and now each student must break a board with their hand to be promoted. Yoomi worries it will hurt. When it’s her turn, she fails. She worries about not being able to succeed. She wants to quit the class. At home, Grandma is also struggling as she tries to learn a new computer skill in order to connect to her sister in Korea. She says, “I’m quitting this computer!” Yoomi encourages Grandma not to give-up, to keep trying. Watching Grandma stick with it, helps Yoomi decide to refocus her energy, and return to the dojang. She works harder to break the board and move on with her classmates to wear the yellow belt. This story is a fresh take on the importance of perseverance, told through multi-generational relationships—Yoomi and her grandmother, Yoomi and her instructor, and her classmates. The picture book shows the unique skills and discipline of Taekwondo. Accessible information about the Korean martial art at the back are enriching cultural details children and adults will appreciate. I’m a fan of author-illustrator Aram Kim’s work. This is a wonderful addition to her two other books: Cat On A Bus and No Kimchi For Me.

She loves counting in Korean thanks to this book. And I love the way the lesson is taught. Came in great condition.

My grandson’s love this book!