VOL.69/2024.04

 

Successful Publication Cases of Korean Children’s Books in China

The joy of Korean children’s books is explained by “The Magic Elephant Books,”
the children’s book imprint of Guangxi Normal University Press Group

 

2023.12.04

 

Since around 2000, Korean picture books have developed in a variety of ways, with increasingly rich materials and better illustrations, beginning to have an international presence. This led to a series of Korean children’s books being imported into China around 2010. In particular, the “Survival” series on scientific facts, published in China in 2013, attracted great attention in the children’s book industry and generated huge sales, triggering a boom in Korean book imports in China. Plus, with the winning of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards by Korean writers Baek Hee-Na and Suzy Lee, the fever of Korean book imports continues to this day.

 

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

 

* K-Book Trends Vol. 37 – Go to the interview with writer Suzy Lee

 

The Magic Elephant Books’ overview of the current state of Korean book publishing: excellent social and economic impact

 

One of the goals of The Magic Elephant Books, the children’s book imprint of Guangxi Normal University Press Group, is to introduce the beauty and vastness of the world to children in China, and to bring the culture and art of the world closer to them. That is why it has been focusing on Korean children’s books since its foundation. In 2016, it published its first Korean picture book, The Zoo (BIR Publishing). A total of 67 Korean books have been published since then, including 36 picture books and 31 children’s literature books. These books have been well received in China, and the overall market response has been positive. They have not only achieved good sales results, but have also been on the bestseller list in China.

 

 

For picture books, some of the best-selling titles include The Watermelon Pool (Changbi Publishers) by author Bonsoir Lune, and We Are Naked Artists (Gilbut Children Publishing) by Moon Seung-Yeon and Suzy Lee, which went through five printings within a month. These books have won several prestigious awards, including “Favorite Children’s Book of the Year Selected by Moms” at the 2nd Parent & Child Reading Industry Summit (亲子阅读产业峰会) and “Good Children’s Book of the Year” at the 4th Chinese Children’s Book List (中国童书榜) in 2016. In children’s literature, Let’s Go Chubby Club by Jeon Hyeon-Jung and Park Jung-Sup (BIR Publishing) and The Great Flight of Formica Japonica Eunbyeolbaki by Kim Jung-Hwan and Kang Woo-Geun (Purunsoop Junior) stood out. The book, Let’s Go Chubby Club, was shortlisted as one of the top 150 finalists for “My Favorite Children’s Book” in 2017, and the book, The Great Flight of Formica Japonica Eunbyeolbaki, has been a high-quality title in The Magic Elephant Books’ science facts category in recent years.
Also notable is My Grandma Reads Me Books (Gloyeon) by Kim In-Ja and Lee Jin-Hee. As this book was a real-life representation of the publishing philosophy of The Magic Elephant Books, “We read for you and make love magical,” the publisher made every effort to promote the book. As a result, the book sold over 40,000 copies and won over 10 book awards, including the “Best Children’s Book of 2014” by the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association (CADPA), “Most Beautiful Picture Book” by the National Library of China (NLC) in 2015, and Top 10 Children’s Books (ranked 50th)” by Shenzhen Reading Month in 2015.

 

 

When it comes to promoting Korean books, The Magic Elephant Books usually focuses on one writer and then proceeds to promote similar books and writers. For example, in 2022, The Magic Elephant Books selected Suzy Lee as its “Writer of the Year”. They held 100 storytelling sessions from April 23 to June 15 on both online and offline channels featuring five of her works, including The Zoo, River, the Black Dog (BIR Publishing), Open, Door! (BIR Publishing), and I Love You My Baby (BIR Publishing). A total of 139 organizations and individuals participated in the offline storytelling sessions, across 74 cities in China, with a total of 280 offline storytelling sessions, 2,200 families in attendance, more than 8,000 on-site participants, 50 online events, and more than 10,000 total participants. These events not only boosted book sales, but also played a crucial role in helping readers understand Suzy Lee and other Korean writers.

 

 

Why Korean Books are Popular in China

 

One of the main reasons Korean books are so popular in China is the diversity of their genres, especially their reflection on real-life issues that go far beyond the content of traditional children’s books. The nearly 60 Korean titles published by The Magic Elephant Books include titles like We Are Naked Artists and Daddy Can’t Sleep (Hansol Subuk), which both have a child-friendly vibe, as well as picture books such as The Trees Know (Borim Press) and Hip-Hip-Hooray for Insects! (Miseghy Children’s Press), which cover science facts. There are also Twelve Birds (Changbi Publishers) for visually impaired children, The Story of Bbibi (Changbi Publishers) and Look Up! (Hyeonamsa Publishing), which focus on the inner world of children with disabilities, and Granny’s Summer Vacation (Changbi Publishers), which centers on the lives of the elderly. Other books on broader topics include Teeth Hunters (Iyagikot Publishing), which focuses on the illegal ivory trade and wildlife poaching, and The Stories Shouldn’t Be True (Sigong Junior), which depicts a pluralistic world of war and oppression. These books reach deep into the hearts and minds of children without much explanation, with colorful and rich illustrations and text. Just like Korean children’s literature critic Cho Sung-Soon wrote in The History of Korean Picture Books (Chungdong Geoul), the “biggest characteristic of Korean picture books is that they are not only aesthetic - metaphorical and experimental picture books are also constantly increasing.”

 

 

The high quality of illustrations in Korean books is another reason for the popularity of Korean books in China – female Korean writers such as Baek Hee-Na and Suzy Lee have been spreading their influence in the world. Baek Hee-Na’s first book, Cloud Bread (Hansol Subuk), was released in 2004 and garnered acclaim - she was selected as the “Illustrator of the Year” at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2005. Then, in 2020, she won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA), giving international recognition to the value of Korean picture books. Writer Suzy Lee received a special mention at the Bologna Ragazzi Award at the 2021 Bologna Children’s Book Fair and won the Hans Christian Andersen Awards in the Illustrator category in 2022, demonstrating the comprehensive competence of Korean picture books. In addition to these two outstanding writers, other Korean writers have been honored at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, resulting in the writers of 10 of the 60 books published by The Magic Elephant Books winning awards. Each of them has their own unique artistic style, including Daddy Can’t Sleep by Kim Wan-Jin and The Lion Book by Noh In-Kyung (JEI Corporation). While awards are not always the only criterion, they are an important factor for Chinese readers when choosing a book, as they show the international status of Korean illustrations to some extent.

 

 

In addition, Korean books are characterized by constant innovation in formats such as textless books and pop-up books. For their content, how they focus on objects as well as the detailed and vibrant expression, are notable. These characteristics make them more easily accepted in China, a neighboring Asian country, than in European and American cultures.

 

Korean book outlook in China: There is more to anticipate in the future

 

In October of this year, Shin Yoo-Mi’s The Songs of Mountain (Bandal) was selected for the 2023 “White Ravens List” by the International Youth Library. The book visualizes the sounds and conveys the beauty of the four seasons of the year through the depiction of oriental motifs (写意画, a painting that emphasizes the appearance of an object based on the artist’s intention). Meanwhile, the book I Am Subway (Munhakdongne Publishing Group), which was selected as The New York Times’ Picture Book of the Year in 2021, depicts the ordinary but intricate lives of ordinary people as elaborately as a Korean drama, drawing empathy from readers. The books mentioned above show the constant exploration and innovation of Korean books in both form and content, which is exactly what Chinese picture books need now and what Chinese readers are excited about. We look forward to more surprises that Korean illustrations will bring to Chinese readers.

 

 

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Written by Wu Liyun (General manager of The Magic Elephant Books, the children’s book imprint of Guangxi Normal University Press Group Co., Ltd.)