The Land of the Dragon King and Other Korean Stories

Author: Gillian McClure
Hardcover: 64 page(s)
Age Range: 4 - 8

Book Description:

The sea hasn't always been salty, and rabbits haven't always had fluffy tails. How the sea grew salty, pigs got their short snouts and rabbits their fluffy tails is revealed in this sparkling collection of Korean folk stories. Gillian McClure's delightful retellings of well known Korean fables and magic tales will transport younger readers to an eastern world of tigers, rice cakes and persimmons alongside more familiar things - all beautifully illustrated in Gillian's own distinctive style.

School Library Journal
McClure retells and illustrates nine brief folktales in this collection, which also includes an introduction and source list. McClure's pen, ink, and watercolor drawings gracefully wrap themselves around the text, adding detail and flavor. Some of the tales are familiar: "The Herdsman and the Weaver," "Clever Rabbit" (also known as "The Rabbit's Judgment"), and "Why the Sea Is Salty." Others contain familiar motifs; "The Goblins' Magic Stick" is reminiscent of "Toads and Diamonds," in which a good brother and a greedy brother receive their just rewards. Retold in a lightly humorous vein, there's nonetheless a keen sense of justice underpinning these tales. Thieves and greedy landlords are punished, long-suffering lovers and devoted daughters meet happy endings, and thorny disputes are settled by wise rabbits. Related in straightforward yet lively prose, with just enough detail and repetition, this collection is sure to become a read-aloud favorite.

Kirkus Review
Plainly told, these nine Korean folktales include some well-known tales found in the relatively small number of other picture books and anthologies available in English. "The Herdsman and the Weaver" is known in many versions from several Asian countries, including China and Japan, and tells the story of two lovers in the heavens, separated the whole year round until a bridge of magpies forms over the Milky Way to allow them to meet on the seventh day of the seventh month. The title story is the tale of a blind man's loving daughter, who sacrifices herself to the depths of the sea, the Dragon King's watery realm, to earn 300 bags of rice to restore her father's sight. His vision is only returned at a later time when his daughter is allowed to return to the earth. The tiger, a recurring character in Korean stories, appears in two tales, fooled by the ever-popular trickster, Rabbit. McClure's watercolor illustrations were inspired by sketches done on a trip to Korea; realistic earth tones vie with the fantastical brighter colors of the heavens and the undersea kingdom. A solid, if additional, purchase.

papertiger
The Land of the Dragon King is a lovely book and one just needs to look at the slightly mischievous dragon on the back cover and the teasing dragons inside to know that it will be a treat.