The professional magazine Changbi Review of Children’s Literature has been leading the discourse in Korean children’s and young adult (YA) literature and culture through a spirited critique. Since its launch in the summer of 2003, it has adopted the mission of a space for discussions about the current state of children’s and YA literature and explorations into new possibilities in the field. The magazine has also been appreciated for raising the level of children’s and YA literary criticism, by providing a space for productive discussions of pertinent issues in the field, as well as by introducing major critical theories from abroad.
In the sections “Feature” and “Criticism” we examine the topography of and trends in Korean children’s and YA literature and offer our readers new information and scholarly knowledge, by exploring and analyzing various genres, including folktales, fantasy literature, science fiction, picture books, children’s verse, documentaries, and graphic novels.
Also, by offering in-depth discussions of major contemporary issues, such as “children and the civic spirit,” “children’s literature and feminism,” and “the age of hatred—how to break through it?” we seek to discover alternative visions for the direction of children’s and YA literature.
The section “Creative Writing” is open to both new and veteran writers. By carefully choosing and introducing outstanding works in children’s poetry and tales, as well as in YA literature, we offer our readers the pleasures found in exceptional literature. In addition, in “Children and World” we examine various social and cultural phenomena related to children and young adults, including schools and other educational venues. This section presents lively voices of children and young adults in today’s rapidly changing world and offers insightful cultural criticism. Further, with the sections “Book Reviews,” “Issues and Books,” and “Postcards of Songs,” Changbi Review of Children’s Literature is truly diverse and rich.
We also work to nurture critiques of children’s literature by inviting the winners of the Changbi Prize for New Figures in Children’s Literature, who bring to the field new inspiration and vitality. The Changbi Review of Children’s Literature will continue to play the role of a magazine that fosters serious discourse that helps to stimulate communication and interaction between literature and children, young adults, and our times.