Korean Folktales for Little Readers · Book 2
The Red Bean Porridge Granny and the Tiger
A Korean Winter Solstice Folktale · Retold by Bright Lee
A chestnut, a turtle, a millstone, and a pile of dog poop vs. one hungry tiger.
“I will eat you up!” says the hungry tiger. “Not yet,” says Granny. “Let me eat one last bowl of red bean porridge on Dongji, the longest night of winter.”
When that night comes, Granny stirs her porridge and cries. Then a chestnut rolls in. “Granny, Granny, why are you crying?” Soon a turtle, some dog poop, an awl, a millstone, a straw mat, and a jige come along. Each one eats a bowl of porridge and promises to help. Can seven small helpers stop one big tiger?
A funny, join-in teamwork story. Nobody gets hurt: the tiger simply slides away across the ice.
- Ages
- 4–8
- Format
- Paperback, 8.5 × 8.5 in, full color, 32 pages · Kindle edition
- ISBN-13
- 979-8160929231 (paperback)
- Published
- October 8, 2026
- Publisher
- Glowwin Books
From the Journal: Dongji: the longest night and a bowl of red bean porridge
Look inside
At the back of the book
More than a story
- About This Story
Dongji, the winter solstice, and why Korean families eat warm red bean porridge. - Korean Words
First Korean words with easy pronunciation. - Tricky Words to Say
Help for grown-ups reading aloud, including parents still learning English. - Talk About It
Questions to share after reading, plus a space to draw your own helper for Granny.
Korean words in this book
| Korean | Spelled | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 팥죽 | patjuk | PAHT-jook | red bean porridge |
| 동지 | Dongji | DOHNG-jee | the longest night of the year |
| 지게 | jige | JEE-geh | a wooden A-frame carrier |
| 할머니 | halmeoni | HAHL-muh-nee | grandma |
| 호랑이 | horangi | HOH-rahng-ee | tiger |
| 맷돌 | maetdol | MET-dohl | millstone |
| 밤 | bam | BAHM | chestnut |
| 멍석 | meongseok | MUHNG-suhk | straw mat |
