Food has always been a source of joy for Jessica Jiwon Choe, ’24, especially traditional Korean dishes. The main character of her debut children’s book couldn’t agree more.
Yuna Choe and the Perfect Bowl of Rice (A Colorful Collection, 2026) is a Korean American picture book written by Choe and illustrated by Celine Kim. In the story, the young protagonist, Yuna, aims to earn perfect grades, have perfect manners, and make the perfect bowl of rice. But when she adds too little water to a pot, she is left with a burnt mess—or so she thinks. Yuna feels like she failed, but her parents help her see that mistakes can lead to unexpected successes, even delicious ones. By burning the rice, Yuna has made nurungji, a traditional Korean snack in its own right.
During her time at Michigan Law, Choe served as a student-attorney in the Zell Entrepreneurship Clinic (ZEC). Around the same time, A Colorful Collection (ACC) was a client of the ZEC, through which it earned its nonprofit status and became a publisher.
Their connection with the ZEC brought Choe and ACC together, ultimately sharing Yuna Choe and the Perfect Bowl of Rice with young readers.
Jessica Jiwon Choe, ’24I accidentally burnt a pot of rice, and at first I was sad, but then I thought it could be a great learning lesson about turning mistakes around—one that I wish I could’ve read when I was young.
Bringing her and others’ ideas to life
Choe is an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where she focuses on transactional law in the firm’s New York finance group. Her work as a children’s book author, however, began at Michigan Law.
“It all came to me in one night,” she recalls. “I accidentally burnt a pot of rice, and at first I was sad, but then I thought it could be a great learning lesson about turning mistakes around—one that I wish I could’ve read when I was young.”
While Choe was plotting out her story on Post-it Notes stuck around her Lawyers Club dorm room, she also was serving as an advanced student-attorney in the ZEC.
The ZEC, created in 2012, is the first clinic of its kind in the United States. The clinic provides no-cost legal services to a significant number of student-led and other startups, including entity formation, intellectual property protection, advice on worker classification issues, advice on various contracts, financing, and deal-making.
“During my first semester with the clinic, I did a lot of work researching patents and helping with NDAs, startup formation, and LLC filings,” says Choe. “That work really called to me because we were servicing real entrepreneurs on campus and around Michigan, and it meant I could help someone’s idea come to life. That’s why I chose to participate for two semesters.”
Staying up to date with the ZEC beyond graduation, Choe was thrilled to learn that ACC had earned its nonprofit status and become a publisher. From there, she reached out.
Finding the right partnership
ACC promotes storytelling rooted in culture, identity, and lived experience as essential for connection, belonging, and learning. Through inclusive children’s literature, ACC creates space for stories that have historically been silenced due to systemic barriers, racial inequities in publishing, and the ongoing rise of book bans.
“A Colorful Collection contacted me after reading through my book and offered to publish it,” says Choe. “I was ecstatic.”
In South Korea, May 5 is Children’s Day (Eorini-nal), a public holiday celebrated annually to honor children and promote their happiness, rights, and well-being. Choe decided to release Yuna Choe and the Perfect Bowl of Rice on May 5, 2026.
“This story would never have happened if a million little things didn’t go right, and all those things went right because I was at Michigan Law,” she says. “I’m super grateful to everyone at A Colorful Collection, the Zell Entrepreneurship Clinic, and all my friends at the Law School who supported me through this. It’s just been a really lovely journey.”
