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2016

Wooden Seal

Jeju-do, a beautiful island in Korea. But buried inside is the painful history of the April 3 Massacre, in which more than 25,000 innocent people were killed between 1947 and 1949. Through the story of a girl who survives the killing spree, "Wooden Seal" reflects on the weight of life and the value of human rights. Author Yoon-duk Kwon has conducted extensive research and interviews to portray the historical event accurately and objectively. This book, with beautiful pictures of the island, represents the hope to never repeat such a tragic history.

 

 

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2013

Pikaia

Kwon Yoon Duck, a beloved writer by all generation with her books titled ‘There Dangles a Spider’, and ‘My Cat Copies Only Me’, has finally presented a new book with a new style in three years since his last publish. In this book, the characters who suffer from their own reasons gather together in the library and share their own stories. By doing so, they come to realize the very reasons why what people live for, and find out how to survive in this world. While reading this book, readers who also suffer from their personal hardships will be able to not just realize the power of life, but also have hopes in their life after all.

 

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2011

Manhee's Letterbugs

Man-hee’s bookshelves are full of letterbugs. Letterbugs like to search for letters in books, zap them, and turn them into letterballs that they gobble up. They communicate with each other through their antennae. Letterbugs enjoy getting into mischief together, playing, laughing, and having a good time. If a letterbug has a problem, or is in trouble, it can always count on its friends for help. This book contains the stories of five different letterbugs.

 

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2010

Grandma Flora

Grandma Flora is based on the testaments of Sim Dalyeon, a victim of sexual slavery. During the Pacific War in 1940, Sim, as a thirteen-year-old girl, was dragged away by Japanese soldiers and suffered unspeakable hardships. After the war, she was abandoned and wandered around for years until she was brought back to Korea by someone she didn’t know. After some time, she was discovered by her younger sister through a dramatic chain of events, and came back to herself after her sister’s devoted care. The author based this book on her personal interviews with Grandma Flora herself, as well as her research for the book of testimonies.

 

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This book is about the clothes that children wear throughout the 12 months of the year and the stories that go with them. The clothes themselves are those of the author’s relatives and the neighborhood’s children. Each has its own story, from underwear to play clothes, going-out clothes, clothes for special holidays, clothes that are made over, inherited or passed on… ‘Mommy, I Like These Clothes’ shows how children grow as they change from one outfit to another. All the clothes in the book are well loved and appreciated, taken care of by owners who also demonstrate how friends, family, and neighbors care for each other.

 

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Mommy, I Like These Clothes

2008

Tools and Work

‘Tools at Work’ is an illustrated book that depicts how our neighbors work and live together in harmony. The book’s story begins with a girl set to go and look around her town with her cat. The first scene depicts tools that densely fill the workplace, and the second scene shows how people work with their tools – all to help children understand the use of tools. Also, kids will naturally learn that all work is equally valuable as they see Kwon’s fine illustrations of a farm, a hospital, a shoe factory, a dressmaker’s shop, a Chinese restaurant, a carpenter’s shop, and an art studio.

 

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2005

My Cat Copies Only Me

This book serenely recounts the special experience that a child has: one day, he is befriended by a cat. The unique and magnificent illustrations, which bring the technique of traditional Korean genre painting to life, are eye-catching. Always at home alone, the girl is visited by a cat one day. The feline not only constantly follows her but imitates everything she does. The girl then starts to imitate the cat as she would do with any other friend, climbing on the desk and gazing into the darkness, which opens up a whole new world for her.

 

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2003

There Dangles a Spider

In this picture book, the illustrator presents a version of a traditional children’s wordplay song from Jeju, a southern island created by volcanic explosion. Called “tail-culling songs,” such songs are nearly never-ending. By following a girl on her way to meet her mother, who dives into the sea to pluck conches and abalones for sale, readers will get a taste of the unique sensibility and scenery of this remote part of Korea.

 

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1995

Manhee's House

Manhee’s family move from their small apartment to move into Manhee’s grandparents’ house that has a big yard. Let’s have a look around Manhee’s new house. There’s a master bedroom, a kitchen, a storage room, a backyard, a garden, a porch, and a living room. Every belonging in every corner, is stained with warmth and tenderness. The black area in each picture connects one place to another. We can imagine what the inside of whole house looks like by exploring it and also guess what it’s like to be part of the daily life of Manhee’s family.

 

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