Kimchi Taco Time
Written by June Jo Lee and Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Illustrations by Hayelin Choi
Publication Date: October 6, 2026
32 pp.
ISBN: 9780998436661
Food is a love language shared across cultures and generations, and it’s clear in Jacqueline Briggs Martin and June Jo Lee’s new picturebook Kimchi Taco Time that their main character Ren is no stranger to pitching in and enjoying a meal with her whole family. Ren’s family brings their own Korean twist to a familiar American tradition of taco night in the beautifully illustrated pages by Hayelin Choi. Mashups and fusions may be sacreligious to some and deliciously innovative to others, but as Papa tells Ren, “No wrong way to taco, Ren. No rules in taco time.”
Ren’s family has a clear ritual when preparing for taco night, one that everyone participates in. Even young baby Agi joins in, smashing avocados and pulling bowls out. When Grandma arrives, she brings her own dish to add to the table – a huge clay pot of bright red KIMCHI! Ren is understandably not a big fan of spicy food, so she’s not sure how kimchi will fit into her taco assembly, but her family shows her how trying new foods can be fun while allowing her to make her own choice about trying the dish.
Despite it being taco time, it is clear that Ren’s family is Korean. Grandma brings her ong-gi, a clay pot used for fermentation, to share Korean dishes like the kimchi with her grandchildren. The back matter defines each Korean word used in the book as well as some related to the story, like gochujang (Korean chili paste) and ssam (wrap). It also includes some general recipes such as Papa’s Awesome Sauce which is revealed to be mayonnaise mixed with gochujang. I am not Korean, but I found the approach to Korean culture very well done. The descriptions of the food and the decisions on what to translate and what to leave be are very intentional, and the authors and illustrator also share their personal connections to the story as well. You don’t need to know anything about Korean food going into the book, and it can be read without referring to the back matter to understand what anything is (but the information is certainly interesting and delicious!). The Mexican aspect of a taco night ends up not being relevant to the story, as the focus is on Grandma’s kimchi, so really any type of dinner would have worked in this regard. Ultimately tacos only serve as a vehicle for trying kimchi, but it is a great multicultural dinner nonetheless.
The endpages feature green and red cabbage leaves reminiscent of Grandma’s kimchi, as well as the yellow textured pattern of a taco shell. The illustrations within have bright colors and solid shapes that define the vibrant food laid out on the table. Textures offer a variation to the flat shapes, from the brush lines defining both hair and the inside of the clay tasting pot, to the dots marking Ren’s clear anxiety around spicy foods, and even a splatter texture marking Agi’s avocado smooshing ritual all over her body. Choi’s art style is fun and defined, sharing the joy and warmth of taco time and the experience of trying something completely new.
This book is recommended for families looking to encourage young children to try new foods and support blended cultures and traditions. The story would work well for a storytime, with the illustrations being large and bright for group viewing. The onomatopoeia from the food prep and Agi’s “Oo-waaa” reply to Ren’s “Aa-wooo” also lend themselves to a good storytime book.
Review by Lucy Louis Lee, with editing assistance by Emily Espanol.
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