4 Books Recommended by Librarians at the National Library for Children and Young Adults

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] A librarian at the National Library for Children and Young Adults recommended four books that are good to read in March. The four books are: Annyeongdal’s Nunai (Changbi), Slavi Stoev’s The Hedgehog Who Sells Hatred (Dabom), Alain de Botton’s How to Answer Adults’ Question ‘What Do You Want to Be?’ (MiraeN), and Jeong Hye-deok’s Is Fifteen Okay? (Urihakgyo).

Below is the librarian’s recommendation.

On the way home from school, a child makes arms, legs, eyes, a mouth, and ears for a snowman in a field covered with thick snow. The child enjoys eating snowballs and sledding with the snowman. As the weather warms, the snowman gradually shrinks and becomes dirty. When the snowman suggests playing hide-and-seek, the child becomes “it” but cannot find the snowman. The next winter, the child meets the snowman again on the way to school, smiling brightly.

This story brings back memories of childhood winters spent having snowball fights and making snowmen with friends. The author’s creative expression of the snowman melting away through a game of hide-and-seek is ingenious. The beautiful mountain scenery covered with thick snow and the children’s adorable expressions make readers smile throughout the picture book. Although the parting between the child and the snowman feels sad, the snowman’s bright smile when they reunite the following winter warms the heart. For adults, it evokes nostalgic memories of making snowmen in childhood, and for children, it shows a warm friendship with the snowman.

Nunai | Written by Annyeongdal | Changbi | 88 pages | 15,000 KRW

Before the hedgehog who sells hatred arrived, the forest was peaceful. Squirrels picked acorns from the trees, and mice gathered acorns fallen on the ground as food. The squirrels considered it natural that mice picked up acorns from the ground. However, the hedgehog who sells hatred described the mice picking up acorns from the ground as “stealing.” Then, by adding a lie that the mice were mocking the squirrels, the squirrels began to hate the mice. The hedgehog sold hatred to the squirrels like this, and hatred, born from such a small lie, brought unhappiness to the entire forest village.

The question on the book cover, “Aren’t you curious who hates you?” is very intriguing. Those who feel curious about the answer to this question might easily fall into hatred when the hedgehog who sells hatred comes. We can easily encounter things around us that could be called hedgehogs who sell hatred. We hear countless unverified stories from friends or see them on the internet. But by seeing the fate of the forest animals who bought hatred, I hope readers can always keep a cautious heart even when the “hedgehog who sells hatred” appears.

The Hedgehog Who Sells Hatred | Written by Slavi Stoev | Illustrated by Mateya Arkova | Translated by Kim Kyung-yeon | Dabom | 56 pages | 12,000 KRW

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This is a question adults often ask children. At first glance, it seems simple to answer by choosing one of the professions the child knows, like “scientist” or “teacher.” But in fact, this question is very difficult and tricky even for adults. This is because a future dream is not just about choosing a cool job you like, but requires a deep understanding of the world and yourself. Therefore, unlike other career-related books, this book does not introduce various types of jobs in the world. Instead, it poses 15 essential questions to think about when finding your future dream, such as “What do I want to do and like?”, “What is a job?”, and “Is earning a lot of money the only good thing?” By answering these questions one by one, you can find your future dream more interestingly and concretely. This book is recommended for children who are still vague about what job they want to have in the future.

How to Answer Adults’ Question ‘What Do You Want to Be?’: 15 Questions to Find the Perfect Job for Me | Written by Alain de Botton & Life School | Translated by Shin In-su | MiraeN | 196 pages | 13,000 KRW

Adolescence is full of energy! Although unpredictable, it is a lively and vibrant period, and this book expresses the reasons for loving adolescence. Yet adolescence is not easy. The war begins with parents’ vented concerns and children’s indifference. Adolescents live in the same era, but parents cannot find answers in this world. The explosive inner crater of adolescence, which cannot escape studying, is truly diverse. This book talks about all the worlds adolescents live in, including family, school, friends, various cultures, and love. Even if it is a clumsy time, adolescence can shine with the wisdom of communication and sincerity. The author says, “I was once an adolescent too. Because they are beautiful, I love adolescence.” Through this book, just as girls and boys have quietly protected us for 30 years, adults want to become a safe shelter and send steady support and hope.

Is Fifteen Okay?: To the Still Clumsy Adults, Dear Adolescence | Written by Jeong Hye-deok | Illustrated by Jang Yoon-mi | Urihakgyo | 131 pages | 12,500 KRW