어느날 똑똑
By: Park Ji-hee
Publisher: BooksGoodCome, Korea, 2024
Format: Hardback
Subtle environmentalism on a cardboard box
Polar bears have become the symbol of environmentalism all over the world, also in Korea. In this book, Park Ji-hee perfectly balances a strong environmental message with a fun and imagniative story.
What would you do if a polar bear knocked at your door? At the very start of this book, we are introduced to a small child that is playing all alone, keeping herself occupied with reading, and playing with trains and dinosaurs. When the polar bear knocks, she does not hesitate, but lets her new friend inside. The child and the bear have a wonderful time together: They play, raid the fridge for food, goof around and hide from the girl´s mom, who never discovers this huge animal in her house.
The boy reveals himself to be a true friend, kind enough to show the polar bear back to his natural habitat even if it means going back to playing all alone. They dress up, sneak out and there is a beautiful, happy ending where the polar bear is reuinited with his partner.
There are many beautiful stories to be told from this book. But what makes it really special are the illustrations. The artist has drawn the whole thing directly onto a cardboard box, making the most of the format: At the cover, the top layer of the cardboard is very skilfully cut away to give the impression that the child is looking through to another room or a hallway. The same pattern is used for a lot of different motives: Roads, floors, bathroom tiles and lampshades. Ji-hee combines the muted colors of the cardboard and pastel drawings with colorful collages of photographs, like in the bedquilt on the illustration above. The contrast is both surprising and beautiful.
The polar bear is, as mentioned before, a symbol of environmentalism. That is clearly pictured, because the polar bear consits of newspaper clippings that tells of pollution, global warming and enviromental disasters. For a child that still can not read (or an adult reader that does not read korean), the environmental message in this book is very subtle, more of a message that animals are our friends and should be taken care of.
The publisher has done great work with the cover of the book, it is so lifelike that when touching it, you actually expect it to feel like cardboard! The format is perfect for the story, and the artist really shows an amazing range of artistic expression: meticolously drawn details, playful collages and gorgeous paintings.
The book has attracted a lot of well-deserved attention and has won a prize from the Korea Picture Book Publishers association.
