Korean children's books on my radar

I thought I would share a few books of interest. First, a few free link from a very popular series from the Montessori Publishing Co. here. Another series I am looking at is 따뜻한 그림백과. I don't think I would buy the whole series, but there are definitely a few jewels out there. What's nice is that you can buy each of these books individually. I wish we had this option for all series. 따뜻한 그림백과  is a picture book first encyclopedia targeted towards the 2-6 year old crowd. Each book covers a particular theme and presents a little world history, some details of Korean history and culture, and its usage in contemporary society. There are also a couple science primers that give information in a clear and accessible way. The pictures are mostly hand-drawn and the language is just the right amount of challenge for advancing beginning readers and semi-fluent people like me.

I recently stumbled on the What series.  This science series is targeted to first through sixth graders and not in comic form like the Why series. I like that the science is first presented in story form and then ends in a question and answer session. I noticed that they have several translated abridged versions of Ernest Thompson Seton's works who is supposed to be this super naturalist.

And finally, there are a few individual books that I am itching to check out in the near future.

한이네 동네 시장 이야기     

Geared for ages 3 and up, this is a great visual introduction to the Korean open market. Wonderful hand-drawn details.

삐딱이를 찾아라 

This is a funny story about a house who is dissatisfied with the growing family that lives within his walls and how he literally runs away. What a silly concept! The props for the photographed illustrations, especially the view of the ocean is amazing. I love that this is a story about a large family. Koreans usually only have one or two children in each household  so this portrayal of a big family is unusual.

바가지 꽃   

I like the idea of a child using the simple bagahgee (a Korean multipurpose bowl that was originally made from a gourd, but now made from plastic) imaginatively.

가족의 가족을 뭐라고 부르지

This is a good book to learn about family trees and all the complicated titles various family members have in Korean society.

 

어제 저녁
Here is another book penned by Baek Heena of Cloud Bread fame. It takes a brief span of time to pan over the various activity different residents of the same apartment have on one evening before Christmas to show the interconnectedness of their lives. The adorable photographs and seemingly plot-less story concept is intriguing.

For now, I am linking to aladinusa.com. It's easy to register for membership, has a great selection, and free shipping for $199. Aladinusa also offers previews for most books.