The Top Thief - Eunho's Story · 9
Who Could It Be? - Yoon-soo's Story · 43
Bright Day - Hyunwoo's Story · 77

Recommendation_ Kim Byeong-gyu, Selection Committee Member · 98
Author's Note_ Seo Jeong-o · 101

A collection of fairy tales containing two new works, including the award-winning "The Top Thief"
Three stories written by and with children in mind.

The 'Jeong Chae-bong Literary Award', which carries on the legacy of Jeong Chae-bong (1946-2001), who awakened the value of innocence and broadened the horizons of Korean children's literature, has published its ninth collection of award-winning works.
The 9th Jeong Chae-bong Literary Award winner, Seo Jeong-o's "The Top Thief," is now available as a collection of fairy tales along with two new works.
It depicts children becoming the main characters in solving problems, pooling their wisdom and strength with their friends, and even solving problems for adults.
These works stand out, especially for their delicious first-person perspective, vivid descriptions unique to the author, and outstanding sentence structure.


The award-winning work, "The Top Thief," is a suspenseful account of the protagonist's struggle to get back the most precious item in the world after it is stolen.
This work shines with the pure hearts and solidarity of friends who take seriously the despair of a child that adults dismiss as mere tantrums and work together to resolve it.
The selection committee praised the work in their comments, saying, “It is a highly accomplished work that naturally blends the past and present, achieving harmony between the grandfather and grandchild generations.” They also explained their reason for selecting the work, saying, “It is also a great virtue that children playing in a landscape that at first glance seemed to be from the past are vividly alive.”
In particular, he did not spare his praise, saying, “The precise use of sentences and accurate descriptions are also the strengths of this work,” and “The description of the top was so excellent that I read it again and again, underlining it.”

The new works 『Who is it?』 and 『Bright Day』, which are also included, also tell the brave and courageous stories of children.
The main characters are 'Yoon-soo', who continues to do her favorite 'axe-cutting' without being afraid or intimidated by being different from other girls, and 'Hyeon-woo', who carries out a reconciliation operation on behalf of grandmothers who are not good at expressing themselves.
All three works, including “The Top Thief,” are a series of fairy tales set in “Yangji Village” with a time difference.


“It’s my fault the top got stolen?” “What’s so ladylike about that?” “Even the grandmothers might want to apologize!”

Works that ask questions in children's hearts and seek answers.

"The Top Thief" begins with the most serious incident in the life of the protagonist, Eun-ho.
The one-of-a-kind top made by my late grandfather was stolen.
In fact, author Seo Jeong-o conceived this work based on his autobiographical experiences.
The author confesses that when he writes, he returns to his childhood and becomes a child who is completely preoccupied with the 'top theft incident'.
Through this work, the author encourages us to become adults who can see into Eun-ho's inner sense of loss, rather than just being like Eun-ho's parents or teachers who simply think of her as cute after having the most precious thing in the world stolen from her.


"Who is it?" is a refreshing cry against the world's gaze directed at a young girl.
The protagonist, Yoon-su, is better at jumping and chopping with an axe than other boys, but his father and the adults around him implicitly force him to be feminine and modest.
Instead of being intimidated or discouraged by this, Yunsu responds like this.
“Even the smallest child has the right not to do something they don’t want to do.” (p. 51) or “Indeed, chopping wood was more fun than any other game.” (p. 66)
It doesn't stop there, but shows understanding and support for the boy next door, 'Soon-gil', who loves knitting.


"Bright Day" is a work that will bring a smile to your face at the sight of honest and courageous children.
Hyunwoo and Jimin's grandmothers, who have been best friends for a long time, end up falling out of favor after a small argument.
Hyunwoo and Jimin just don't understand it at all.
The children carry out a 'proxy reconciliation operation' for the two grandmothers who want to reconcile but are hesitant to take the initiative.
This is a fairy tale that shows how a transparent innocence can brighten the world.


“It was ultimately the children who took seriously the despair of the protagonist who lost his one and only spinning top.
A world where children have friends who give them strength and wisdom and play together.
I was happy to encounter that world through my work.
“I hope more children can live in this world outside of their works.” - From the selection review (Kim Byeong-gyu, Oh Se-ran, Yoo Eun-sil)

“If I had to describe the nature of the stories in one word, I would say they are encouragement for children and advice for adults.
Of course, it is also a whipping for myself.
“I promise to always write for children, with a child’s heart, by their side.” - From the author’s writing (Seo Jeong-oh)

The 'Jeong Chae-bong Literary Award' was established in 2011 to honor the literary achievements of the late author Jeong Chae-bong (1946-2001) and to discover children's story writers who will lead the world of children's literature in Korea. It carries on author Jeong Chae-bong's belief that 'childlike innocence saves the world.'
Following 『That Whale, Lightning』(1st Ryu Eun), 『Anklet Suicide Squad』(2nd Kim Hae-deung), 『Take Off Some Gum』(3rd Yang In-ja), 『Where Did the Hunchbacked Old Lady Go?』(4th Yoo Yeong-so), 『Train No. 503』(5th Heo Hye-ran), 『Cutting the Wind』(6th Kim Hye-on), 『Arm Wrestling』(7th Lee In-ho), and 『Whistling Friend』(8th Chu Su-jin), the 9th Grand Prize winner 『Top Thief』(Seo Jeong-o) has been published as a book.
The grand prize winner of the 10th Jeong Chae-bong Literary Award in 2020 was Lee Byeong-seung's work, "Gorilla Brother and Aurora" (tentative title).