Republic of Korea
(Romanization
according to McCune-Reischaure norms)
Special
Mention
21
Sin, Tong-jun (text/illus.)
Chihachol un tallyo onda
(The underground train arrives)
Seoul : Ch obang, 2003. – [32] p.
ISBN 89-90614-10-4
Seoul – Underground – Train station
People who want to take an underground train, simply walk down the stairs to
the station, buy a ticket, pass the gate, and wait for their train on the
platform. Many different people travel by underground and the scenes are
usually alike in all the big cities. In this book, Sin Tong-jun uses a very
original, direct, and attractive collage-technique to illustrate the hustle
and bustle at the underground stations in Seoul, the capital of the Republic
of Korea. The various passengers look so alive that the reader almost seems to
hear them talking. The stations, tunnels, bridges, the river, and the view of
the city are shown elaborately, with several pictograms, train schedules, and
Korean, Chinese, and Latin characters ingeniously woven into the pictures.
This lively, graphically designed picture book is an excellent inspiration for
children to develop their own creativity. (4+)
22
Yi, Hy4n-sun (text)
Ch'oe, Un-mi (illus.)
Sim Ch'ong ka (Shimchong’s song)
Seoul : Ch obang, 2003. – [32] p. + 1 CD
ISBN 89-90614-05-8. - 89-90614-03-1
Folk tale – Daughter – Father – Self-sacrifice – Miraculous cure –
Music – Theatre
Shimchong believes that only an offering in the temple can cure her father of
his blindness. Since she is very poor, she sells her life to some sailors who
sacrifice young girls to placate the sea. The sea-king, however, spares her
life and eventually, her father can see again. This folk tale about a virtuous
girl is created in the 400-year-old Korean performance art of P’ansori, in
which only one person speaks and sings in alternation with a drummer. The
characters in this book, borrowed from the traditional Korean mask-dance, act
in stylised poses without a background. Just like a P’ansori singer who
fills the stage with his performance alone, the figures fill the large-format
pages of this book. (4+) <>
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