What is a prejudice?

Prejudice refers to a fixed idea based on what you have seen or heard beforehand, and you do not accept other opinions.
In 『Lion Mart』, Mr. Lion, who opened a mart, appears.
After neatly displaying the items and cleaning, they prepare to welcome guests, but Mr. Lion's appearance is a bit rough.
It's a scary feeling to look at.
An old woman came to the mart and was startled by Mr. Lion and ran away.
And they spread the word to people that he looks scary, and people misunderstand him because of his appearance and what they heard from his mother.


『Lion Mart』 clearly shows what 'preconceptions' are, tailored to the eye level of children who read picture books.
Yet, it doesn't resolve itself as if it were wrong.
Mr. Lion doesn't make people put in a lot of effort, like grooming himself to look good.
Mr. Lion simply shows his true nature through actions that make people realize it through chance events.


Whose fault is it for having preconceived notions? "The Lion Mart" doesn't blame Mr. Lion, who doesn't dress up, or those who hold preconceived notions.
We often misunderstand things as we go through life.
What's important is always having the heart to see the other person well, and having the courage to quickly resolve any misunderstandings.

Theme expressed through color harmony

Colors such as white, black, and gray, which lie between these extremes, are called achromatic colors.
In the painting 『Lion Mart』, these achromatic and chromatic colors are expressed in harmony.


The preconceptions and biases we often have are those that we only look at and think about one prominent aspect.
Artist Sobok emphasizes this with contrasting colors.
In particular, the faces and bodies of the characters are equally colorless.
However, the clothes and accessories they each wear are colored.
This refers to looking at a person and guessing their personality through things like clothing that reveal their individuality.
But it symbolically shows that that is by no means all of that person, that just as my inner colors are hidden, so is everyone else.

Picture book story told by author Kim Yu

Many people shared their kind hearts on the 'Heart Bus'.
We are pleased to present our second story in return for your overwhelming love and support.
If you look closely at the Mind Bus, as if you were playing a hidden word game, you'll see "Lion Mart," which is the space in this story. When you hear the word "lion," you may think of the animal "lion," or you may think of "lion" when you buy something.
The story of Lion Mart began with the word 'lion', which has the same shape but different meaning.

Sometimes we judge things by their appearance without really knowing them.
It's like wearing colored glasses and seeing only one color.
If you only think about one side, you won't be able to see the other meaning or appearance.
The name 'Lion' in Lion Mart was named after the owner, Mr. Lion, and it also reflects Mr. Lion's wish for many people to come and buy things.
But at some point, people start to think of lions as 'scary lions' and avoid lion markets.
If we look at it more slowly and carefully, we will be able to see it clearly, but our busy daily lives do not even give us the time to do so.


Then one day, the apartment complex suddenly loses power and the world becomes pitch black.
Glasses on or off, the apartment, the mart, and the people are all pitch black. And the first customers to visit the mart, the little sisters, tell Mr. Lion, who is worried about the darkness, "If you look closely, you can see clearly."
Then, as if by magic, other adult guests arrive and look at Mr. Lion without any colored glasses.
At the end of the story, a cat sister who resembles the child sisters appears.
Perhaps he is the protagonist who created the magic of Lion Mart, and he is said to be going on a journey again to find a dark place.
The next destination the Cat Sisters will arrive at will brighten people's dark hearts a little. Additionally, just as we played with different consonants on the Mind Bus, I recommend playing with the letters on Lion Mart, finding opposites like "사자-팔자" (사자-팔자), or finding words with the same meaning but different meanings like "사자."

Curriculum Elementary 1st grade, 1st semester, Korean language 5.
Greetings affectionately
Integrated 1st grade, 2nd semester 1.
My Neighbor's Story