A new war epic never seen before
The small and serious mind of a child facing the weight of a destructive reality

The story begins with fire ants.
Grandma looks at the swarm of fire ants that has spread throughout the house and recalls the war she experienced when she was nine years old.
Even after decades, the vivid memories of his grandmother still stir up imaginations about 'war' in the mind of his nine-year-old grandson, On.
However, in the work, war is not depicted as concrete violence.
The child's heart, feeling sorry for the ant family as he watches the grandmother spraying pesticide and the ants running away to survive, takes the readers on a completely unexpected story.

What makes young On more anxious than the flying battlefield or the refugees clinging to the roof of a train is the fact that he cannot evacuate with his wheelchair-bound grandfather.
Worries weigh heavily on the child's mind, but the neighbor, his school friend, and the owner of the local supermarket all refuse On's request to take his grandfather with them for different reasons.
But surprisingly, amidst the growing anxiety, On reflects on his past mistakes, such as tattling and gossiping about others, which are incredibly trivial.


A nine-year-old child, faced with such a huge 'war' that the mere possibility of it happening can instantly shatter his daily life, looks back on such trivial mistakes and regrets 'I should have lived a good life.'
Readers who encounter the ethical turmoil of the young On will find themselves experiencing a new and poignant emotion as the familiar framework of war narratives they have encountered cracks and breaks through the cracks.

A very special picture book of peace that only Eunsil Yoo and Soyoung Lee can tell.
A story that brilliantly combines narrative depth with unexpected lightness.

Eun-sil Yoo, the writer of writers, is a writer who has always captured both the sadness and optimism of children.
In "War and I," author Eun-sil Yoo infuses humor and warmth into children's lives, helping them discover the sparkle of life on their own, without obscuring the dark truth of the world.
My aunt's refreshing and cool words, "Waging war is the worst thing," melt away the faint fear of war.
In the scene where On's face, once filled with worry, changes into a bright smile, readers are reminded of the excellence of artist Lee So-young, who brings out the work with a variety of colors.
Artist Lee So-young's captivating illustrations, moving between past and present, imagination and reality, further enhance the density of this remarkable narrative.

Additionally, author Eun-sil Yoo has always talked about a dignified life.
No matter how cruel reality may be, the work embodies the belief that humans are beings capable of caring for and supporting one another.
The painful memories of war, the thought of leaving your family behind and going alone, the rejection of friends, the shunning of neighbors, and then the reaching out of others again.
A warm community of neighbors existing among worldly and selfish people.
All these narrative fragments come together to add warmth and depth to the work, leaving readers with the thought, “Waging war is the worst thing ever.” “I hate war.”
You may have the experience of hearing this simple sentence, “Peace is good,” sinking into your heart with a fresh and urgent feeling, as if you were hearing it for the first time.
That is why, as children’s literature critic Kim Min-ryeong said, this work becomes “a war story that only Yoo Eun-sil can tell, a war story that only Lee So-young can draw.”

“Dreaming of a world where children do not fall victim to war.”

The above sentence is the author Eun-sil Yoo's 'Author's Note' on 'War and Me'.
It may seem like a simple sentence at first glance, but this very obvious belief is the very basis of the ethical imagination that author Eun-sil Yoo has persistently questioned and that our children's literature has long held onto.
So, readers of 『War and I』 cannot help but resonate with the author's clear mind contained in such short and concise sentences.
Author Eun-sil Yoo's childhood, where her grandfather was a victim of the civilian massacre of the Korean War and she grew up hearing war stories from her grandmother and parents, adds a unique authenticity to her work.


War devours everything.
The weakest and most insignificant, such as children and the elderly, are the first to be hurt and remember the pain the longest.
The hope that children will not fall victim to war is not simply a wish for them to be safe from physical death or injury, but also a wish for them to be safe from the anxiety, fear, hatred, and exclusion that violence brings.
"War and I" is a monumental picture book on peace that expands the boundaries of children's literature by connecting the wars still raging around the world not only as memories of previous generations but also as issues of the present.