Birthday Soup

Ages 4 to 8, Grades P to 3

A debut picture book that celebrates birthdays, family, and a time-honored Korean tradition, featuring art by New York Times bestselling illustrator Jaime Kim and a recipe from renowned chef and TV personality David Chang.

Maia wakes up on her birthday to a delicious smell brewing in the kitchen. Her family is making Miyeok guk, one of her favorite foods! miyeok guk is seaweed soup that new moms eat after giving birth to help replenish nutrients, and many Koreans eat this same soup on their birthdays to honor their mothers, who gave life to them. This year, Maia gets to help prepare Birthday Soup by chopping ingredients, drying the seaweed, and then adding everything to the sizzling pot.

Maia wants to share the miyeok guk that she made with all of her friends at her birthday party later in the day, but wonders if they'd rather have pizza and cupcakes instead. With a little encouragement from her umma, Maia blends the two cultures that she's a part of to create a new birthday tradition.

Debut author Grace Chang and New York Times bestselling illustrator Jaime Kim team up to create a beautiful and vibrant story about how food and family recipes can connect us to our ancestral cultures, as well as ourselves. Birthday Soup includes a recipe for miyeok guk from Grace's husband, renowned restaurateur, chef, and television personality David Chang.

About the Author

Grace Seo Chang lives in Los Angeles with her two sons, husband, and dog named Seve. She has loved Korean food since she was a young girl and to this day loves her rice and kimchi. Birthday Soup is her first children’s book.

Author Residence: Los Angeles, CA

Jamie Kim was born and raised in South Korea and now lives in North Carolina. Although she was a timid child who was afraid of just about everything, she discovered a sense of serenity in drawing. As a grown-up, Jaime finally stopped being afraid of everything, but kept on drawing and painting. She works with gouache, watercolors, and acrylics to create nostalgic and dreamlike illustrations, inspired by childhood memories of her family, as well as movies, art, and the outside world. Her favorite things are the sun, the moon, the sky, and stars--which is why they always creep into her artwork. Her debut illustrated picture book, Take Heart, My Child, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Visit Jaime online at JaimeKim.com.

Illustrator Residence:North Carolina