VOL.69/2024.04

Elementary School Teacher’s Pick

2023.01.02

Children’s books heal not only children’s hearts, but adults’ hearts as well. The first children’s book I would like to introduce today is a picture book titled Magic Candies (Bear Books Inc.). Have you ever imagined reading other people’s minds? Have you ever been upset by your parents for not loving you? The first appearance of Dongdong, the main character in the book, starts with a scene where he plays alone.

Dongdong tries to pretend he’s alright, but he’s not alright. He could go up to his friends and ask them to play with him, but he is shy and is not familiar with thinking about others’ minds or expressing his thoughts. One day, Dongdong goes to a stationery store to buy some marbles, and he finds sweet candies that are different in color and size. Oh, no! After eating one, he starts to hear weird things – he could hear what others were thinking! He could hear the voice of the sofa, and the voice of his pet dog Goosul! As he takes another candy that looks like his dad’s shredded beard, he can hear what his dad is thinking. Inside dad’s mind, who would always nag whenever he sees Dongdong, he was thinking, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, and I love you.’ To his heart, Dongdong replies in a small voice, “Me, too.” Also, he could listen to how his grandmother was doing, who he misses so much but can’t meet. Having heard different voices from people’s minds, Dongdong learns to better understand others’ minds. Then, he musters up the courage to ask his friends, “Do you want to play with me?”
Magic Candies is a picture book written by writer Baek Hee-Na, winner of the 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Clay dolls seem to bring the unique features of the writer’s work more alive in the book. Dolls with rich facial expressions as well as delicately made props and backgrounds, make you feel like you’re watching a movie. It is also fun to predict whose mind Dongdong will read next by looking at the patterns on the candy. After reading the book, it would also be good to talk with your child like, “If you could have a magic candy, too, whose mind do you want to read?” or “If I have one of the candies and listen to your mind, what would I hear?”

* K-Book Trends Vol. 26 – Go to the interview of writer Back Hee-Na

* K-Book Trends Vol. 22 – Go to the article about the 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

The next children’s book I would like to recommend is The Dictionary of a Nine-Year-Old’s Heart (Changbi Publishers). This book includes 80 words for expressing one’s mind, along with pictures that introduce emotional expressions that children can use in daily life. Some children experience special difficulties in expressing their feelings at school. Some students just say, “I feel just okay” in every situation, and some others only use “It’s fun” or “It’s irritating” for everything that happens around them. On the other hand, some students can express their feelings through a variety of words. Looking at one’s mind and expressing their feelings through words are related to how well one controls their emotions. If one can differentiate the feelings they have right now by “It’s disappointing,” “I feel lonely,” “It’s unfair,” or “It’s cruel,” your emotion, which was previously expressed by “I feel angry,” can be better shown to others. It’s helpful for their lives and their relationships with friends. The book helps children to learn various emotional expressions through detailed, lively pictures and kind explanations to precisely understand and express their feelings. It also encourages them to feel a wider variety of emotions. Share thoughts like, “When did you feel satisfied? I felt satisfied when I finished this book,” while reading the book with your family and talk about each other’s feelings. Your life will be more enriched.

Written by Lee Seo-Yoon (An elementary school teacher and the owner of the Youtube channel “Lee Seo-Yoon’s Tips for Elementary School (이서윤의 초등생활처방전)”)