Korean / Republic of Korea
Ŏmma ka hwanatta
(Eomma ga hwanatda)
(Mommy got mad)
Ch‘oe, Suk-hui
(Choi, Sookhee)
(text/illus.)
Seoul: Chaek ingneum gom (Bearbooks), 2011. – 32 p.
(Series: Kŭrimch'aek i ch'am choa; 003)
ISBN 978-89-93242-44-7
Child care | Attachment | Discipline | Picture book
Reading age: 4+
White Ravens issue: 2013
Sani, a little boy, always makes a mess while eating at the table or bathing in the bathtub. Worse than that, he paints on the wall. His mother shouts at him and gets very angry at his naughtiness. Sani, terrified, disappears and his mother cannot find him anywhere. Her adventure starts when she encounters Sani’s alter ego, who denies he is Sani. Sani’s mother, bedraggled and heart-broken, starts crying. When Sani reappears all of a sudden, they hug each other and his mother says, “I am sorry. I love you.” The comic-like, pastel-hued illustrations lend the issue of discipline easy appeal, and the book’s dramatic and dynamic structure attracts readers. At the same time, the story provides young readers with an opportunity to realise that even if mom gets mad, she still loves them.