BEE-BIM BOP!

Even so fine a writer as Park cannot resist the whole bouncy-rhyming thing. This one, however, does have vivacity and charm, as a small girl helps her mother purchase, prepare and serve her favorite meal. Bee-bim bop is a Korean dish, and every family has their own version. Illustrations come from a child’s eye point of view: Eggs are fried, rice is steamed, vegetables and meat are thinly sliced and all proceeds apace even when the child manages to spill and clean up—with the help of the dog—a bit of cooking liquid. Park includes a complete recipe and an author’s note about “mix-mix rice,” which is a loose translation. Lee’s clear watercolors depict food and kitchenware, Grandma wearing Korean dress and the dog hovering, often mimicking the child’s activities. Expect hordes of young ones prancing about asking for “Hungry—in a hurry / for some BEE-BIM BOP! (Picture book. 4-8)