Korea
Moon Pops
By Heena Baek, Jieun Kiaer (Translator)
Moon Pops. Heena Baek. Translated by Jieun Kiaer. Owlkids Books, 2021. Originally published as Dal Sha-bet in Korean by Bear Books, Inc. ISBN 9781771474290. 36 p. (Ages 3-7). Picture book.
The first title to appear in English by 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Baek Heena (also the first Korean to win that prize). It is a creative and whimsical retelling of the Korean legend of the rabbit in the moon. A story perfect for hot summer nights, it is illustrated with cartoon-like figures that overlay deeply-detailed dioramas of city life. Baek’s earlier Magic Candies was included on the IBBY Honour List in 2018 and adapted as a musical in South Korea; it has been released in English by Amazon Crossing Kids. [cr/dj]
The Moon Tonight: Our Moon's Journey Around the Earth
By Jung Chang-hoon, Paige Morris (Translator), Jang Ho (Illustrator)
The Moon Tonight: Our Moon’s Journey Around the Earth. Jung Chang-hoon. Translated by Paige Morris. Illustrated by Jang Ho. Blue Dot Kids, 2023. Originally published in Korean by Woongjin Thinkbig Co. Ltd, Seoul, in 2007. ISBN 9781737603252. 36 p. (Ages 4-9). Picture book.
Children witness the waxing and waning of the moon in this poetic and informative text by astronomer Jung Chang-hoon. The luminous illustrations, by 2009 Bologna Children’s Book Fair illustrator-of-the-year Jang Ho, enable even the in-bed reader (or listener) to marvel at the night sky. [dj]