A children’s book about the haunting demilitarized zone between the two Koreas, and its sad ecological aspect
N IS FOR NORTH KOREA and S IS FOR SOUTH KOREA
A wonderful, important book with amazing illustrations. I was reading along with my partner and mole, and while we all knew about DMZ in the political sense, it was very enlightening to also find out how it doubles as a nature reserve, which is a fantastic, almost alternative reality aspect of the unfortunate rift between the Koreas.
I expected a little more drama, thinking that the grandfather who was climbing the outlook point was separated from someone in North Korea. But I don’t know if that would work well in a children’s book, and also it would probably be too on the nose. So I thank Uk-Bae Lee sincerely for his measured, restrained approach to a painful issue. And for the way he painted pigs and seals, so very cute! Will definitely buy the print version as a gift to smart kids.
When Spring Comes to the DMZ by Uk-Bae Lee
Published by Plough in 2019
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