tag Children
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The Moon over the Apple Orchard
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The picture book The Moon over the Apple Orchard depicts in beautiful and lyrical brush strokes the literary world of the late Kwon Jeongsaeng, who believed that the humblest beings were the noblest. The third volume in Changbi’s “Kwon Jeongsaeng Literary Picture Book Series” series, this work recreates into a picture book the title story of The Moon over the Apple Orchard, which is a collection of the author’s short tales for children originally published in 1978. Presenting Pil-jun and his mother, who lead lives of goodness without blaming anyone despite illness and poverty, this book speaks about hope and joy that shine bright, like the moon, even amidst a sorrowful reality. Newly interpreting the tale with a focus on conveying consolation to the protagonist’s mother as both a mother and a woman, painter Yun Mi-suk’s illustrations make the story all the more moving. Together with his mother, Pil-jun lives in poverty as the caretaker of a riverside orchard. His mother is a “half-witted” elderly woman. She cannot even sew buttons on clothes, plays house with a pillow on her back, and importunes her son for meat dishes and outings to the traditional market. Her only son, Pil-jun had to withdraw from school and to be provided with meals at neighbors’ homes due to her illness. Though he has worked as a farmhand since the age of twelve, he has been unable to own even a modest house. Although mocked for having failed to find a bride, the protagonist, nearly 40 years old now, neither blames his sick mother nor resents his circumstances. On the contrary, he is incomparably happy because he can live with his mother, small, shabby, and solitary though their home may be. In this respect, Pil-jun is reminiscent of the author himself, who did not despair in spite of the hardships of his life but, instead, spoke of humanity and hope. As such, The Moon over the Apple Orchard is a work that sings of bright hope, joy, and beauty even in a painful reality checkered by war, poverty, and disease.
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Changbi Books > Children, Changbi Books > Children > Picture book
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The Story of Deserts from Mrs. Shooting Star
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Having introduced readers to the vast realms of volcanoes, Earth, and outer space and provided them with fascinating explanations of a variety of scientific and historical knowledge in her earlier works, Lee Ji-yoo guides them to the world of deserts this time. Based on her experience of crossing Western Australia, this volume presents fascinating stories of deserts that debunk, in a stroke, common stereotypes of deserts such as sandstorms and camels. The word “desert” recalls typical landscapes: the scorching sun, sandstorms sweeping from everywhere, and parched lands without so much as a blade of grass. Such images, however, are only a part of the sheer variety that deserts exhibit. The definition of a desert is “a place with an annual rainfall of 250 mm or below,” and this condition does not include the temperature. Surprisingly, Antarctica and Greenland, both lands of ice, too, are classified as deserts, and many deserts are distributed even in plateaus covered with rocks as well. This volume examines such diverse aspects of deserts including: the Sahara Desert, which has camels and sand dunes; the Gobi Desert, where many dinosaur fossils are found; the Atacama Desert, which is the highest desert on Earth and thus perfect for observing outer space; Antarctica, the coldest desert; and tundras, lands of white nights and auroras.
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Changbi Books > Children, Changbi Books > Children > Non-fiction
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Please Come to My House, Too
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This is the latest story for children by Song Eon, who is well known for masterful depictions of youngsters’ minds. It realistically and fascinatingly portrays the process through which “Mr. Beard,” the homeroom teacher of 3rd-grade Class No. 1, and his students get to know one another through frank dialogue. The children in this work, who grow up actively, positively, and resiliently despite wounds deep inside their hearts will leave lasting images in readers’ minds. Storyline
The homeroom teacher of 3rd-grade Class No. 1, “Mr. Beard” sends notices to all of his students’ families in order to receive applications for home visits. He then visits the homes of Gim Han-sol and Jang Geun-ho upon request from their respective families. Han-sol asks the teacher not to tell his parents that he has made trouble at school. As “Mr. Beard” complies with the request, he and the youngster become much closer. After meeting Geun-ho’s parents and younger brother Geun-sik, who has a disability, at their home, the teacher shows more affection to his student. Yi Eun-hye’s mother has been unable to request a home visit due to her busy work schedule. Through a telephone conversation with her about the family situation, “Mr. Beard” comes to a greater understanding of Eun-hye.
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Changbi Books > Children > Fiction > Age 8-10, Changbi Books > Children, Changbi Books > Children > Fiction
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Mui the Squirrel’s Spring
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This volume is a picture book where a story of friends in the forest unfolds against the landscape of a warm spring day. A squirrel living in a forest, Mui feels hungry after smelling violets in the spring breeze. In order to find out how to make seasoned violets, it opens a book titled One Hundred Simple Spring Dishes for Squirrels. “Add honey and salt appropriately? Just how much is ‘appropriately’?” The explanations in the cookbook are all too difficult for the furry little animal. Heading out of its home with curiosity and excitement, the squirrel is just like children, who are full of questions and want answers to them. Thanks to the author-illustrator’s description of spring landscapes, which are presented in detail in a lively yet tidy style, youngsters will be awarded with a rich sensibility and great satisfaction simply by reading this volume. In addition, this work presents a splendid cornucopia of spring plants including budding green sprouts, sweet violets, luxuriant bridal wreath spirea, beautiful primroses, yellow woodland whitlowgrass, ash trees, chocolate vines, and daylilies, thus regaling readers with refreshing and exciting scenes.
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Changbi Books > Children, Changbi Books > Children > Picture book
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The Taekgyeong Master in My Neighborhood
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The second volume in the Changbi Sundry Neighbors Series, which presents stories of people who dream freely and make challenges with gusto Through a taekgyeon (traditional Korean martial art) master who makes courageous choices in life in his own way and Min-jun, the protagonist, this tale prompts readers to reflect on the definition of true strength and happy and natural ways of using strength. Min-jun, who has yelled at and tormented Gyeong-su, the weakest student in class, to show off his strength, realizes after hearing the master’s words that he must do something other than learning kicking skills in order to be a truly strong person: admitting his own faults and genuinely apologizing to Gyeong-su. In the process of learning and putting into practice the meaning of a “really strong” person, the boy gains a precious friend and a wonderful mentor. As credible and likely characters and incidents unfold fascinatingly, this book will prompt children to realize ways of honing their own strength and living with others. Also adding to the joy of reading this volume are illustrations that, through free-flowing expressive techniques, well depict the flexibility and rhythm of taekgyeon moves.
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Changbi Books > Children, Changbi Books > Children > Picture book
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Wobbly
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Through the pitiable life of Wobbly, a black chick that has become a part of Sun-jin’s family, this work prompts readers to ponder carefully on the meanings of life and peace. The story begins as the protagonist’s father buys and brings home a hen on one market day in July 1948. Sun-jin’s family raises: Blacky, a jet black hen; Chinny, a hen with yellow feathers; and a rooster with red plumes. Next year, not long before New Year’s Day, the hens brood and hatch eggs. One day, however, one of Blacky’s chicks jumps into the blazing stove. Burned in the fire, the young bird has its beak molder away and all its claws fall out, thus standing awkwardly and walking crookedly. From that day on, it is called “Wobbly.” Burned, Wobbly no longer looks like a chick. Even Blacky, its mother, fails to recognize it, fiercely attacking and pecking on it. The young bird is now a loner. Nevertheless, it overcomes hardships and pain and lives on amidst the devoted care of Sun-jin’s family. Kwon Jeongsaeng Literary Picture Book Series
This series combines Kwon Jeongsaeng’s short stories for children and drawings to arouse new emotions. Reborn as picture books, long-beloved tales expand the moving experience of literature. The series was begun in 2015 with the first volume, Ddolbae Has Been to the Moon (illustrated by Kim Yong-cheol), in a wish that these works would meet and enrich even more readers, transcending generations. The Kwon Jeongsaeng Literary Picture Book Series will continue to be published in the future.
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Changbi Books > Children, Changbi Books > Children > Picture book
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Maybe I’m a Master Detective, Too
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Maybe I’m a Master Detective, Too is a story that unfolds from the perspective of Myeong Sera, a 5th grader in primary school. Although her dream is to become a detective, she has not told anyone of this and prepares herself for the job alone so that she can make a spectacular debut at 20. One day, Yu Seol-lok transfers to the protagonist’s school. Seeing the newcomer proudly and openly say that his goal is to be a sleuth, Sera is upset and feels that she has been robbed of her dream. In the process of solving together incidents that occur around them, however, she gradually comes to acknowledge the boy as a partner. This book focuses on the rational thought process of ratiocination that detectives use to investigate cases and to uncover offenders. Upon close scrutiny, even the reasoning process of master detectives, who may seem to resolve cases with keen wits and brilliant intuition, is based on detailed knowledge and observation of nature, precise understanding of causality, and cool-headed analysis unswayed by emotions. The volume showcases scientific inference and techniques reflected in investigative reasoning through a tale that unfolds in children’s everyday lives. It presents diverse investigation techniques indispensable for resolving cases such as evidence collection, alibi demonstration, fingerprint taking, and meanings of bloodstains in an age-appropriate way. Through the feats of Seol-lok and Se-ra, characters with whom youngsters can identify, this work will prompt children to observe incidents around them carefully and help them to develop their vague wishes to become detectives into the power of scientific thinking.
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Changbi Books > Children, Changbi Books > Children > Non-fiction
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The Sunshine Village Apartment Zoo
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The Sunshine Village Apartment Zoo is the story of a child’s growth as he raises animals. Having to spend much of his time alone and feeling lonesome, Jang Mi-o takes his rabbit outside one day, to be unexpectedly showered with attention from his friends. Thinking that raising animals will thus win other people’s love, the boy then comes to grow diverse creatures and to dream of creating a zoo on the veranda of his family’s apartment. Accordingly, he spends considerable money even to acquire a parrot but increasingly lacks the time to care for the small animals because he must earn money to support them. To make matters worse, the bird falls ill so that Mi-o finds himself in the difficult situation of having to shoulder the costly medical expenses. In the end, he realizes and accepts that he is in no situation to take care of animals. Nevertheless, the hero realizes through the apartment zoo creation project that the happiness of the animals themselves is the most important thing and also learns ways to form relationships with others naturally in the process of exchanging opinions with family members and friends. Realistically depicting South Korean children today, who spend little time with their parents and live in conditions where it is difficult to forge relationships with others, the author sensitively portrays Mi-o’s efforts to move on to better circumstances. In the process of watching the protagonist change as they read this volume, youngsters, too, will feel their hearts and minds grow, gradually yet steadily.
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Changbi Books > Children > Fiction > Age 10-13, Changbi Books > Children, Changbi Books > Children > Fiction
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Detective Neo the Bad Shot
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Neo Duri, a raccoon dog police detective in Momo City, which is populated by animals, is teased as “Detective Neo the Bad Shot” because he has failed to catch Superduperking, a strawberry thief. The town’s hottest topic, the Show Off Your Fur Contest is just around the corner. However, red fox Mio, wont to boast of his luxuriant fur, has his legendary fox comb stolen. To make matters worse, Momo City is hit by an epidemic that leads to hair loss, thus threatening to prevent the contest itself. Though Detective Neo tenaciously follows clues, determined to rid himself of the nickname “Bad Shot,” the culprit repeatedly gets away. Will the police detective be able to resolve the case and to shake off his disgraceful epithet?
Nor is this work noteworthy solely for Detective Neo’s haphazard efforts and ratiocination of the theft case. Detective Neo the Bad Shot features diverse animals and their respective circumstances including the detective himself, who is made fun of for having lost an offender: an eagle whose feathers have fallen out; a hedgehog who has not been able to change her spiny hair even though she has been able to amass all kinds of treasures; and a turtle who has knitted and put on a fur coat out of shame that he is hairless. Welcome are the small yet decisive changes brought about to animals in Momo City by the feats of Detective Neo, who himself has shortcomings yet strives to overcome them. A keen eye that unbiasedly finds hidden strengths in others without boasting or sermonizing, above all, is Detective Neo’s unique charm, no less important than his power of reasoning.
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Changbi Books > Children > Fiction > Age 8-10, Changbi Books > Children, Changbi Books > Children > Fiction
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Hororo Heeya, Just as You Draw
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The protagonist of Hororo Heeya, Just as You Draw is Gang Ba-u, a first-year student in primary school. Held at the school one day is a bazaar, where youngsters bring and buy and sell sundry articles. Here, the hero buys from an unknown child “crayons that make things happen just as you draw.” Though he does not truly believe in the crayons’ supposed magical power, he uses them jokingly to draw a picture in which his teacher is dragged away by Grandfather Mesh Sack, a boogeyman-like character in Korean folklore. However, just as in Ba-u’s drawing, the teacher really disappears the next day. In order to rescue his teacher, the protagonist therefore goes to Underground Village, the abode of the Mesh Sacks live, together with Little Mesh Sack, who has sold the crayons to him, and Jun-seo, the teacher’s son. The adventures that span the school, an actual space, and the subterranean village, a fantastical space, remain fascinating to the end of this book. Gripping are the children’s frantic efforts to put to sleep the frightening Geomduru, or Grandfather Mesh Sack, in Underground Village and to rescue the teacher, trapped in a jar. Ba-u grows by leaps and bounds emotionally and mentally in the process of trying to overcome his fear of Grandfather Mesh Sack, which will pleasantly regale and deeply move readers.
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Changbi Books > Children > Fiction > Age 8-10, Changbi Books > Children, Changbi Books > Children > Fiction