Flower Island Cat
Thank you for being by my side
Hello, Polar Bear
The general is going

Author's Note

Great weakling, animal on the road!
The voice of coexistence heard from below

Kim Jung-mi, author of 『The Children of the Magpie Beak』 and 『Everyone is Dark』, has published a new collection of fairy tales titled 『The Cat on the Flower Island』.
The four fairy tales included, including the title piece “Cat on the Flower Island,” which was published in the quarterly magazine Changbi Children’s (Summer 2017 issue) and received the comment, “I met Sister Mongsil again in the form of a stray cat,” expand the scope of solidarity beyond the urban poor to include animals on the streets.
The image of people struggling to survive at the bottom of society and animals living in even more vulnerable positions, supporting each other and moving forward together, delivers a desperate message of coexistence to readers.

The voices of animals encountered in a powerful narrative
The four fairy tales included in "Flower Island Cat"—"Flower Island Cat," "Thank You for Being by My Side," "Hello, Polar Bear," and "The General is Coming"—all feature cats and dogs with strong vitality as their main characters.
The protagonists do not remain passive representatives of humanity, but each express their lives, sorrows, and hopes on the road in their own voices.
In particular, the stray cat Norang, the protagonist of the title work “Cat on the Flower Island,” is a character who does not let go of the bond of solidarity with those around him even in the midst of hardship and adversity, and can be said to be “the arrival of the great underdog protagonist who had briefly disappeared from our children’s literature since the 2000s” (Changbi Children’s, Summer 2018 issue).


“Is there another cat as yellow as this one?”
“Yes, that’s right.
I also feel respect when I see yellow.
“When I see her acting so confidently as a leader and even as a grandmother on three legs, I think I should live harder too.” _Page 41 of the text

The four fairy tales feature animals we have likely encountered on our walks, allowing us to naturally accept their familiar yet weighty presence.
In particular, the author leads readers into realistic spaces such as redevelopment areas, the construction site of the Ganghwado Bridge, and the alleyways of Incheon, making the fairy tale's message come to life with vivid power.
The lives of stray cats and abandoned dogs encountered in this powerful narrative make us feel a responsibility to see and respond to the reality we live in today.

The socially disadvantaged and street animals join hands in low places.
Author Kim Jung-mi takes readers alongside animals on the street and delivers a raw portrayal of our society.


“Polar Bear, our neighborhood is going to be demolished.
My grandmother's family is also going to move when spring comes.
If Dad doesn't pick me up by then, I have to go to daycare.
Then you and I will break up.
“I can only go with you if Dad comes… … .” _Main text, page 119

The animals in the story are accompanied by people who each have their own lonely and sad stories.
In "Flower Island Cat," Norangi saves the life of Choi, a homeless man who collapsed in front of a free food pantry, and in "Thank You for Staying by My Side," a large dog named Hayangi comforts Sumin, who is anxious due to heartbreaking memories of adoption and abandonment.
In "Hello, Polar Bear," Polar Bear, a dog born to a Siberian Husky father and a white swan mother, listens to the inner thoughts of Mina, who was born to parents with different skin colors.
The main character of "The General Goes", the general, is also the only support for the grandmother who is struggling to make a living by collecting waste paper.
"Flower Island Cat" not only calls for attention to the lives at risk through the sad lives of abandoned dogs and stray cats, but also elevates thematic awareness to a new level by appealing to all the marginalized and vulnerable in our society.
Through the expansion of social consciousness of coexistence and solidarity through the socially disadvantaged and street animals joining hands, we can once again confirm the capabilities of artist Kim Jung-mi.

A desperate message of solidarity in an age of hatred.
As hatred and violence against the weak become increasingly visible social problems, how to convey the message of a society where we live together to children is a major challenge for the educational field.
If children's literature is supposed to be on the side of the weak from birth to the last moment, then "The Cat on the Flower Island" is a work that suggests the future direction of children's literature in that it shows different beings living together on equal footing, rather than the socially powerful saving the weak with a charitable attitude.
The solidarity between the socially disadvantaged and animals in even more vulnerable positions naturally reveals why we must live today by acknowledging and respecting each other's differences.
Author Kim Jung-mi's perspective and voice, which convey the harsh realities of society without reservation but never loses faith in and love for humanity, are even more captivating today.