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Discover what it’s like to grow up in South Korea. “Annyeonghaseyo! My name is Min-jun, and I’m a kid just like you living in South Korea. South Korea is a country filled with amazing cities and cutting-edge technology. Have you ever wondered what South Korea is like? Come along with me to find out!” Learn about the history, geography and culture of South Korea in this book, part of the “Living in …” series and filled with illustrations.

In this photographic alphabet, the author introduces young readers to some of the customs, religion and culture, both ancient and modern, that make up this high-profile country. Focusing on both city and country life – from Arirang to Lacquerware to Taekwondo – this is a celebration of Korea in all its colourful diversity.

John’s mother thought cooking was more important than beauty in this gently humorous riff on a traditional tale. Here, John finds perfection in a batch of perfectly prepared black-eyed peas. A tasty looking recipe concludes this colorfully illustrated tale told with a distinctively Southern flavor.

As an artist lays out tools needed to paint, she seeks inspiration from the masters. Along the way, well-known paintings from the National Gallery of Art are presented grouped by genre. Readers can examine each then read more about them on concluding pages, as the artist does “what [she] really love[s].”

What can you do with a pencil? Create lines that skate across a page with a single figure in a red hat and mittens. When lines become too chaotic, an eraser smooths them and a new skater is introduced. Just imagine what happens when more lively but delicate lines, skaters, and erasures come together in the last pages of this inventive book.

Lila’s inventive play doesn’t stop as she and her mother prepare to visit Lila’s grandfather, depicted on alternating pages. What is seen as a table on one page becomes Lila fighting a fearsome sea monster on the next. Lively language and animated illustrations depict Lila’s adventures  soon joined by her granddad!

Creativity, wonder and more all starts with an open book, “a little gift from me to you.” It grows beyond walls, into the whole, wide world. Child-like watercolors accompany the text, inviting readers to celebrate the joys of imagination.

Lines drawn by two boys connect and so do the boys in joyful play. An accidental tug-of-war, however, causes a rift until a smile and additional creativity bring them together again. Though wordless, watercolor illustrations speak volumes and are certain to ignite storytelling.

Curious children are sure to learn about various instruments and how they are used, as the contents of a typical toolbox are unpacked. Each is presented in crisp illustrations and very brief text.

“What are these?/Trees. And those?/Shadows.” Short, poetic, rhythmic questions and answers and textured illustrations progress from a frozen winter woods to the coming of spring and all of its changes. 

Peekaboo! Lift the flap of a partially covered animal face to find animals in action. Large flaps are sturdy enough for inquisitive hands to discover or rediscover familiar animals. 

Traditional nursery rhymes, some familiar, others not so familiar, appear in a compact, sturdy collection appealingly illustrated with a host of animals in the artist’s signature style. 

Take a walk along Main Street to visit a bakery, a fish market, a hair salon, and other shops. Discover secrets that hide beneath each of the many flaps on sturdy pages. Enjoy the surprises at each cleverly designed and simply illustrated spread.

Little Excavator, better known as Little E, wants to help the big construction equipment transform a vacant lot. Rhymes and onomatopoeia accompany the expressive illustrations of heavy-duty equipment, for a satisfying tale of growing up.

Flora and an ostrich, both clad in deep lavender, demonstrate opposites such as hello/goodbye, near/far. The expressive illustrations, however, reveal a friendship and humor that goes far beyond the single words on each open page occasionally expanded when a flap is lifted. 

Young readers will find the adult cat hiding from an energetic kitten until both wind up in the same bed for a much-needed nap. Simple forms outlined in black and straightforward text tell a tale that both children and adults recognize.

Buster, a small white dog, hides from a child as they play enthusiastically all day. But turnabout is fair; in the evening, the toddler waits for Buster to find her in bed. Charming illustrations and lively text capture the energy of a baby and her dog.

Mama and baby go to a colorful, crowded market to buy fruits and other staples. While Mama is busy, baby is so curious, cheerful and funny that each vendor gives the baby something a little extra for Mama’s basket. Expressive illustrations and rhythmic text make a tale to share again and again.

The questions asked by two children celebrate our commonalities as well as what makes each person distinct. Lyrical text and handsome watercolors portray the tapestry of a city and the people who live in the world. 

A boy walks his dog as the sun sets, glimpsing different activities in the lighted windows. The brightest window is in his own home where his mother waits for him. As night falls outside that window, the pair curl up together to share a book.  Detailed illustrations use light and dark to present a warm story.

Animal characteristics provide clues as different animals ask the reader to guess who they are. Each clue is clearly pictured on a white page; then turn the page to view the entire animal on a double-page spread. Crisp collage illustrates each
creature. The accessible volume ends with additional information (including size comparisons).

“Life is for me/and is shining!” begins the poem and continues as the child expresses her wish for a peaceful world in which there is laughter and family. Watercolors are both fantastical and realistic as the poem continues to a gleeful, “Life is for us,/and is shining./We have a right to sing.”

Have you ever thought what’s underneath you in your house? Beneath the garden? Or under a city street? There is a great deal underground, exposed here in short, often humorous, sometimes sophisticated poems, and deeply colored illustrations. 

If your finger is placed on the small blue dot, say “oh.”  If it’s on a big blue dot, say “OH!”  Imagine what happens when there is a series of blue dots! Blue, red, and yellow lines and dots dance across white pages encouraging sounds and gleeful play in this inventive participatory book.