Korean Children's Favorite Stories by Kim So-un and illustrated by Jeong Kyoung-Sim is an excellent collection of folktales that are famous in Korean culture. These fun and imaginative stories have been passed down from generation to generation by oral tradition through Korean families.
In tales like The Bad Tiger, an unruly tiger torments an old lady by eating all her radishes. She devises a plan to make the tiger stop. She tricks him into coming over for dinner and ultimately kills him. Somewhat harsh but also humorous, this teaches children to be good and not take things that aren't theirs. In The Great Flood, the son of a tree and a celestial being, Talltree survives a flood by riding his father (the tree) who has been uprooted. He rescues ants, mosquitoes, and a young boy the same age. As they grow, the boy he rescued tries to trick him out of marrying the women he wants to marry. But the ants and mosquitoes help him to win her, leaving the tricking boy with the short end of the stick.
Though in some cases lacking in fairy tales and wizardry, these Korean folktales teach lessons to children while entertaining them with lighthearted and somewhat ridiculous stories. These are much like our folktales that are popular in our society such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Hansel and Gretel, etc. They even use similar patterns such as the theme of threes in stories such as The Three Little Girls and The Three Princesses.
"They reveal the inevitable foibles of people everywhere and expose the human-like qualities of animals and the animal-like qualities of humans." - Kim So-un
Each folktale is accompanied by whimsical watercolors which are calligraphy inspired Korean illustrations. Jeong Kyoung-Sim uses vivid colors and playful images to entertain young audiences. Though simplistic in ways, these images bring the stories to life in an authentic Korean fashion. As children learn about the cultural folktales of Korea, they too can be educated about the traditional Korean styles present in art.
Motivational Activities:
*Have students choose one of the folktales from the collection. Have them break into groups and reenact one of the stories as a play. This will help to make the stories more memorable for the students as well as further their appreciation for another culture's storytelling.
*These Korean folktales have many similar themes compared to more well-known folktales to students. Have student choose a korean folktale and a well-known folktale. Have students compare and contrast these two stories.
Reader response questions:
1. How do you believe Korean folktales are similar to well-known American/English folktales?
2. How do you believe Korean folktales differ from well-known American/English folktales?
3. Name 3 lessons that you observed when reading the Korean folktales.
Further reading:
*The Green Frogs: A Korean Folktale by Yumi Heo
*What Will You Be, Sara Mee? by Kate Aver Avraham
*The Firekeeper's Son by Linda Sue Park
*Dear Juno (Picture Puffins) by Soyung Pak
*Land of Morning Calm: Korean Culture Then and Now by John Stickler
*South Korea (New True Books: Geography) by Tara Walters
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