Product Description
Two green frogs love disobeying their mother. They always do the opposite of whatever she tells them to do—they stay in bed when she wakes them, they make a mess when she asks them to clean. They"re so contrary, they even croak backwards! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Fantastic Adaption of the Korean Folk Tale
Much like the Brothers Grimm, the story of The Green Frogs is a lesson wrapped in a children's story.The lesson is for young children to listen and obey their mother.The illustrations are wonderful.My son loved the story and it was an early lesson in irony.

brings back memories
i remember my mom calling me this as a child.it's a good book but children are not very interested in this.maybe when they're older.however i enjoyed this book.the subject matter is a bit mature for 4 yr olds.

froggie
I was amused by the pictures in this book! My grand baby is Korean and I wanted to have stories from there to share with her! This story could have come from anywhere! "GRIM" story like one of the other people reviewed it as! I like happy endings, but it's important kid learn to do what they should!

Careful of the ending
Wonderful introduction to Korean folklore, with gorgeous illustrations.The story is about two frog children who do the opposite of what their mom asks.At the end (cover your eyes if you don't like the ending given away), the froggie boys learn their lesson when their mom dies.I actually change the ending when reading it to young children, but it could be a nice book for talking to kids about doing what they're told.It is also a pourquoi story, also known as an origin story, which gives an explanation for why frogs croak when it rains.

Good choice!
It is an old story that I was read when I was younger.Though it is in English, the story was as I remembered.The condition of the book was good and I was very pleased with the purchase. ... Read more

Product Description
A representative sampling of Korean stories which have been passed down from generation to generation through spoken and written traditions. Dragons, ghosts, ogres, tigers, demonic foxes, supernatural spouses and, of course, people with all their human frailties are among the characters that populate Korean folk tales.

Through them are revealed perceptions of life and notions about power, money, justice, love and interpersonal relations that, through the ages, have become ingrained in the Korean pysche. Passed on from generation to generation, the tales reflect the deep-rooted beliefs and customs of ancient Koreans and the creeds and codes by which they lived.

Korean Folk & Fairy Tales is thus a window through which to gain some understanding of present-day Korean culture. It includes fables, anecdotes, fairy tales, pourquoi tales, and tales of the bizarre. Some of the tales are known in many versions and some can be traced back to classical examples set down centuries ago. Some are peculiar to Korean and some are international in currency. Some are charming, some gruesome, and some humorous. Together they provide much insight into the Korean ethos.

Illustrations and bibliography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It's really easy to read
Like I said, this book is really easy to read and the stories are short so you would not have to spend too much time on it. The stories can be read at leisure and are really interesting. The stories like Fountain of Youth and the Vanity of the Rat are popular stories and this book contains about 64 stories to read. I reccomend this book for readers who love korean culture and their folk tales. ... Read more

Product Description
Like many other great non-English literatures of the world (such as Central and South American), that of Korea has existed largely unnoticed by English speaking readers. Dr. In-sob Zong has accomplished the formidable and pioneering task of introducing us to the vast literary panorama of one of the world's oldest and richest cultures. The author moves easily among sophisticated discussions of classical Korean poetry, folk tales and folklore, drama, the legendary Korean sense of humor (which, even in translation, is remarkably accessible to Westerners), and classical music and dance. ... Read more

Product Description
Here in these twenty most wonderful stories, children will meet the long-time friends of Korean children. A rabbit who outwits a tiger, a brother and a sister who became the Sun and the Moon, ogres and their magic clubs, a tortoise and hare who are totally different from the ones in Aesop's fable, rats who want the Sun to became their son-in-law, and many many more beloved characters.

Customer Reviews (2)

korean treasure
This is a wonderful piece of korean culture for your family.we are a Korean family and are so excited to share our traditional stories in English to our baby and growing family.As we don't speak Korean well, it's so nice we can enjoy these stories in English.The illustrations are very classic, lovely and traditional.It is written and illustrated by Koreans and has over 10 very popular Korean folk tales. I have given this book to another Korean family and just purchased another one for our family for our library.Truly a treasure.

Needs better editing
The illustrations in this book are lovely.The text would be fine if only it had been translated or edited better.My son wants me to read this book to him at bedtime, but it's difficult because it seems that, in each story, there are problems, either with typographical errors, such as misspellings, or, worse, with missing words or awkwardly worded phrases.I try to fill in or interpret how I think the story is meant to be read, but a few times I have to really stop and think about what was meant, and then the flow of the story is lost.A much better short story collection of Korean stories is Kim So-un's Korean Children's Favorite Stories. ... Read more

Product Description
The proverb is one of the oldest and shortest forms of folklore. This is why more and more people in our time are turning to the proverb as an important tool of communication and learning.
This book is a personal selection of proverbial sayings deriving from the peoples of China, Korea, and Japan. A total of 1,359 Asian proverbs in English translation have been chosen for this volume.

This book places each group of Asian proverbs with a comparable group of Western proverbs so that the reader may view the Asian proverbs against their Western equivalents. As many as 867 Western proverbs have been chosen for this book. For the reader's sheer enjoyment and contemplation, the proverbs are arranged in topical categories, ranging from Anger to Wisdom. Drawing deep interests are many instances of the unity of perception in both Asian and Western proverbs. ... Read more

Product Description
The Story Bag, a captivating collection of Korean folk tales compiled by the emininent Korean storyteller, Ms. Kim So-un, is sure to delight the hearts of all "children" between the ages of eight and 80. Written with earthy wit and pathos, the tales unveil the inevitable foibles of people everywhere and expose the human-like qualities of animals and the animal-like qualities of humans.

Pulsating with the rhythm of life and the seasons, these 30 stories transport the reader to a wonderland, where a tiny mouse teaches filial piety to a spoiled child, a blind man can "see" evil spirits, and fleas drink rice wine. It is somehow deeply reassuring to know that even in present-day politically-divided Korea, these same stories are still being told, just as they have been for generations. ... Read more

Product Description
In this Korean folktale, a hungry tiger plots to steal an ox from the village. Outside a small cottage, the tiger overhears a mother calming her baby with the offer of a dried persimmon. The tiger mistakenly assumes that a dried persimmon is the wildest and fiercest beast in the world — because the mere mention of it quiets the child instantly. When a thief jumps on the tiger’s back, the terrified tiger runs off to his mountain convinced the fierce persimmon is after him. Park’s brilliant color illustrations, modern adaptations of the Korean artistic tradition, bring to life the humor and wit of this tale that she first heard from her grandmother. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

My child's favorite book!
This book has quickly become my child's favorite. The illustrations are exquisite and the story is wonderful. I highly recommend this beautiful book! ... Read more

Product Description
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

Product Description
This delightful little story tells of a young girl's time with her grandmother as she relates to a legend of Where Hummingbirds Come From.Grandmother explains the magic waters and the beauty of this tiny bird.Where Hummingbirds Come From may well become an all-time children's classic and a perfect book for the young reader. ... Read more

Product Description
Korea abounds in rich and colorful myths and legends which have been handed down to us as part of our heritage. ... Read more

Product Description
This book shows the many faces of the Korean tiger, from the most magnanimous to the most pusillanimous. Tigers have always had a special place in the hearts of Koreans. Having had to share their habitat with the most terrible animals from time immemorial, Koreans have spun myths and tales around the animal that made it their friend, guardian and mentor. Perhaps it was a clever survival strategy to turn their deadly enemy into their benefactor and guardian angel, even if they knew it was only wishful thinking.
58 b/w illustrations. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a collection of myths and legends describing the beliefs and customs of the ancient people in the formative stage of Korean civilization, and will help the reader understand the Korean people, their traditions and their culture. The twenty eight myths and legends in this volume are selected from several books of historic importance. Though they have been enjoyed throughout the ages in Korea, they are not known outside so well and this volume will fill that void. ... Read more

Product Description
This book contains 175 tales drawn equally from the ancient and modern periods of Korea, plus 16 further tales provided for comparative purposes. Nothing else on this scale or depth is available in any western language. Three broad classes of material are included: foundation myths of ancient states and clans, ancient folktales and legends, modern folktales. Each narrative contains information on its source and provenance, and on its folklore type, similarities to folklore types from China, Japan and elsewhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

My Granddaughter
I purchased this book as a gift for "Gotcha Day", a tradition started in our family when we picked up our new granddaughter at the airport.She has been exposed to a lot of Korean culture as a reminder of her birth country.

She is an avid reader at the age of six and loves this book as well as her mother and grandmother.I recommend it to any parent or grandparent of a Korean child.

Tales of a Korean Grandmother
This book has good stories and give a interesting look into the life of Korean family before modernize of the country. ... Read more

Product Description
Two charming folk tales are included in this single volume. Bilingual (English and Korean). 1) A woodcutter longs for his children and fairy maiden wife in heaven and tries to follow them. 2) The fire dog embarks on a quest to bring back the sun and the moon so that the dark kingdom will have light. Volume 1 of the 10-volume set Korean Folk Tales for Children ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Korean Text, Horrible English Grammar
The Korean part is great.The story's actually there.But the English translation part is horrible...They need a better translator.

I would just buy a Korean book in another bookstore (such as [...]) to teach my children Korean instead of buying this Korean + English version that doesn't even feature proper English grammar.

I'm not great at speaking/writing in English, but even I CAN TELL that the grammar's horrible. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Sufficient
I think this book is sufficient for those who want to read Korean stories in English.The grammar isn't bad like some of the other cultural books translated into English.But it does change the story a little bit to make it easier to translate or easier for children to understand.For example, if I remember correctly, it flows through the story of flooding earth due to excessive raining from a couple who couldn't be united over milky way then birds help to lay a bridge across for them to meet.The real Korean version also talks about how two types of birds helped, one is blue jay and another is raven/crow.And around that time of the year (Lunar calendar 7/7), I believe one of those birds or both birds in Korea start losing a bit of feather around their head or it turns pale or what not, and it's because they got "stepped" on when they were made into a bridge, etc.Also, it does rain a lot during summer in Korea so the story takes account of the local weather as well (ex: California, summer's considered dry season and to children here, that wouldn't really make sense).Stories in this book leave out a lot of details for one reason or another that I cannot really imagine, I think it's because it is hard to explain all that to a child who don't really live in that culture so they just decided to leave out those details.

But if you just want to familiarize your children with cultural stories, this is a nice book.And not many gruesome endings like a lot of supposedly children's books (such as andersen stories - I love those stories, but it is true that those stories were intended for adults when they were first written).

So the quality of stories is pretty good.I just wish it related more closely (in detail) with the original versions.

A special gift
We have an 18 month old grandson who was adopted from Korea.On the occasion of his becoming an American Citizen, we purchased this book as a gift.His parents want to preserve his Korean heritage, so this special book seemed appropriate.Although it is geared to an older child, we feel that he will appreciate the stories in the future.The book is nicely illustrated, and although I did not have the time to read the entire book, the passages which I did get a chance to read seemed interesting. ... Read more

Product Description
Two charming folk tales are included in this one bilingual (Korean and English) volume. Volume 7 of the 10 volume set, Korean Folktales for Children. 1) A princess grows a long nose because of her endless greed. 2) A clever rabbit tricks a tiger in order to avoid being eaten. ... Read more

Product Description
Two charming folktales are included in this single bilingual volume: 1) The humorous tale of a lazy man who is transformed into an ox and comes to learn the value of hard work. 2) The timeless tale of people's never-ending search for immortality. ... Read more

Product Description
Vol. 5 in the 10 volume set Korean Folk Tales for Children. 2 stories are included in one volume. 1) A kind brother and his evil older brother steal some magic clubs from some ogres. 2) The humorous tale of a tiger who loses his courage when he overhears a conversation about dried persimmons and imagines them to be a frightful monster. ... Read more