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introduction
Introduction: The Magic of Reading Picture Books Together

Part 1: Picture Books Ask Me

1 The Road to Myself: Oregon's Journey
2 The Secret is My Power "Just a Little More"
3. Time to Explore Myself: "My Three Eternal Friends", "Where is Our Daughter?"
4 Questions of Life 『The First Question』
5 My Own Space, "The Pit"
6 What Kind of Flower Am I? I Was Born as a Flower
7 Embracing Weaknesses 『Important Matters』, 『Anatol's Little Pot』

Part 2: The Bridge Connecting You and Me

1. The Eyes that Connect Different Things 『Can't Fall』, 『White Snow』
2. A Heart That Sees Your Seeds 『A Very Small Seed』
3. Each other's life bookstore, "Will there be a bookstore?"
4. Time with Mother: "My Mother", "Medusa's Mother"
5 Healthy Distance Between Mother and Child: "Tick, Tock"
6. Putting Your Heart Into It 『Candy』, 『Land of the Word Factory』
7 As long as we remember, we are connected. 『Hello, My Glove Tree』

Part 3: The Door to the World

1 May your morning be beautiful 『When you open the window in the morning』
2. The Comfort of Green Nature: "A Person Like a Big Tree" and "A Bouquet of Grass from Yeonnamcheon"
3 What will we leave behind at the end of our lives? 『100 Life Picture Books』
4. The Courage to Endure Winter 『Brave Irene』
5. A Teaching Only Allowed to Those Who Walk Slowly: "A Jujube"
6 Hours of Closing 『As Time Passes』, 『Letter』
7 Until the sorrow of parting becomes paper 『Wire Elephant』

Part 4: My Answer Again, Found in a Picture Book

1. Balancing Work and Parenting 『Mom, Wait a Minute!』
2. Relieving the Weight of Worries and Expectations 『But But Grandma』
3. With the heart of a tree sending out seeds, "Where did the 100 seeds go?"
4. A Heart That Knows How to Admire 『Stopping by the Forest on a Snowy Evening』
Day 5, the process of choosing one's own character: "The Word Collector" and "The Child Who Walks Along the Line"
6 Books Protecting Me and You: "Underground Garden"
7 The Magic of the Endless String 『I Wait』

Appendix 1.
To have a picture book reading group
Appendix 2.
Reading a variety of picture books together

1.

“At the library, at the local bookstore, at the cafe, at the parenting group
“We read picture books together.”

“I am not the only one who stumbles in life,
Everyone has a way of enduring trials,
“Picture books speak for themselves, as do those who read them together.”

Working moms, office workers, housewives, middle-aged men, seniors, teachers, freelancers, self-employed…
A picture book therapist who reads picture books to adults
The story of 'Reading Picture Books Together' conducted with people of various ages and classes.

The author of this book was a working mom who worked for an IT company for 10 years and was at a crossroads between returning to work and resigning after two pregnancies and childbirths.
Just as the travel story of the circus clown Duke the Dwarf and the acrobatic bear Oregon, "Oregon's Journey" (written by Rascal and illustrated by Louis Joss), gave him the courage to find a new path when he was gripped by deep anxiety, picture books have now become a medium that goes beyond emotional healing and comfort to provide various inspirations to adults.
Maybe that's why.
Recently, picture books that used to comfort each person's heart in their own homes are coming out of the house.
It is not difficult to find scenes of adults sitting together in front of picture books and talking at libraries, local bookstores, cafes, and parenting groups.


The author found solace in picture books whenever she felt her heart waver, and to pass on the positive influence of picture books to others, she took on a new profession as a picture book therapist.
He mainly reads picture books to adults.
Adults have been reading and understanding the world through text for a long time, so when they look at picture books alone, they are likely to only read the text and pass over the pictures.
However, when you look at a picture book read aloud to you, your eyes focus on the pictures and your ears focus on the story, allowing you to have the experience of your eyes and ears opening together.
This is because picture books are a medium that shines when someone reads them.


The majority of people who attend the picture book reading group led by the author are mothers in their 30s and 40s, but there are also many people of different generations, occupations, marital status, and situations, such as office workers, working moms, middle-aged men, elderly women, teachers, freelancers, and psychological counselors.
The mind-care effect is doubled when reading picture books with people of different ages and classes.
The crises and conflicts that picture book characters experience are something that most everyone experiences.
Those who attend the reading group reinterpret the crises and conflicts the protagonist faces based on their own experiences, and find relief in sharing similar yet different experiences.
I am not the only one who stumbles in life; everyone has ways to endure trials, as the picture book and the people reading it tell me.


This book is a guidebook and reading essay that conveys the magic of 'reading picture books together,' which leans on picture books and people to care for our hearts and show us ways to get closer to those we care for.


2.

Ego, anxiety, fear, courage, memory…
Looking into myself and sharing my heart with others
Discover 36 thought-provoking picture books for adults.

The reason picture books provide comfort to adults is because they make them feel immediate and specific 'emotions'.
A painting captures the human mind without leaving any room for other thoughts to intrude.
In a world where we are constantly expected to be restrained and rational, picture books evoke raw emotions, offering experiences that are difficult to achieve through written language.


Ego, anxiety, fear, courage, memory… .
The topics the author shares at picture book reading groups are as diverse as the attendees' ages, genders, and occupations.
The books introduced in this book are picture books that we read together in groups and expanded each other's worlds.
These thirty-six carefully selected books teach us how to explore and care for ourselves, teach us how to share our hearts with family, friends, and acquaintances, give us the courage to live fully in the wide world, and offer clues on how to work and live.
Let's take a look at representative picture books that have resonated deeply with adults of various occupations and ages.


▶ For the working mom who stamps her feet every morning, "Mom, Wait a Minute!" (written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis)
The innocent child keeps shouting, “Mom, just a moment,” as he holds onto the hem of his mother’s coat as she runs away in a panic, afraid of being late for the train.
When I see the child in "Mom, Wait a Minute!" responding affectionately to a cute puppy, a road construction worker, a red butterfly, and a beautiful double rainbow in the sky, I think that rather than pulling my child's hand and urging him to go, I should learn to stop and look at the rainbow with my child.
This is a book recommended to all working moms who leave their children who are whining, “I don’t want to go to daycare!” and head to work with a heavy heart.


For office workers who desperately want to do nothing, "The Pit" (written by Shuntaro Tanikawa, illustrated by Makoto Wada)
Hiro, the protagonist of "The Pit," digs a hole one Sunday with nothing to do.
It has no purpose or use.
Just selling the land.
After digging a hole that fits you perfectly, you curl up in it for a while and then fill it back up, feeling a sense of liberation and fulfillment.
The pit is also a metaphor for a peaceful resting place where one can be completely alone.
This book encourages office workers who feel a strong desire to do nothing and a desire to escape the harsh workplace to think about their own personal retreat.


To all the daughters of the world, "My Mother" (written and illustrated by Kang Kyung-soo)
This book is one that brings tears to your eyes just from the word "mother," but it also brings out the complex and subtle emotions between a mother and her daughter.
The topic of 'mother and daughter', which elicits strong reactions at picture book gatherings, is a relationship in which they are so close that they end up hurting each other.
As participants read the book and talk about their own mothers, they reveal festering wounds between mothers and daughters, and also think about the ideal mother-daughter relationship.


▶ To middle-aged men who find it awkward to look into their own hearts, "I Was Born as a Flower" (written and illustrated by Emma Giuliani)
"I Was Born as a Flower" is a beautiful pop-up book about the life of a flower.
When I show this book to middle-aged men who are feeling frustrated after a failed project or looking for a break from corporate work, smiles spread across their faces.
Those who have never read a picture book before are amazed as they turn each petal.
This book disarms the mind of a middle-aged man who finds it awkward to look into his own heart, and the bright energy of flowers gently melts away his hardened heart.


▶ To middle and high school teachers, "Candy" (written and illustrated by Baek Hee-na)
When I read "Candy" with high school senior teachers who have little experience with picture books, they lament that they are unable to properly listen to their students because their ultimate goal is the college entrance exam.
"Candy" and "The Land of the Word Factory" (written by Agnes de Lestrade, illustrated by Valeria Docampo) are good books to read when focusing on the themes of "speaking sincerely" and "listening."


▶ For everyone who is afraid of starting, "But But Grandma" (written and illustrated by Yoko Sano)
A ninety-eight-year-old grandmother who is very curious, but when you actually suggest something, she waves her hand and says she can't do it because she's a grandmother.
It's a story about turning five on your ninety-ninth birthday cake with only five candles, and finally being able to do whatever you wanted.
This book makes you think about what obstacles prevent you from desiring something and starting it. It is a good book to read along with Brave Irene (written and illustrated by William Steig) on ​​the themes of 'lost courage' and 'new beginnings'.


For the self-employed and freelancers who are anxious about tomorrow, "Where Did the 100 Seeds Go?" (written by Isabel Minhos Martins, illustrated by Yara Konu)
This book cleverly depicts the story of 100 seeds sent by a tree growing into ten trees.
Freelancers and self-employed people are showing the greatest response.
Some say, “I need to sow more seeds than I can estimate and measure,” while others say, “I will hold on and hold on.”
Mothers raising children also respond greatly.
This is because it makes me look back on myself, caught up in impatience and anxiety, wondering, 'Will my child ever be able to sprout?'


3.

A Guide to Reading Picture Books Together for Adults

The author hopes that picture books read with adults will serve as a 'thermometer that measures the mind in advance.'
So, I'm organizing a picture book club to help me reflect on and embrace my current state.
To detect the subtle temperature changes in my heart, I need to organize my thoughts after reading a picture book.
At the end of each chapter, the author provides examples of 'expressive activities' he has conducted with attendees at various picture book gatherings.
For example, after a meeting with the theme of 'The Secret is My Power', we explore 'the me I didn't know' through activities such as 'Creating my own secret prescription to restore self-esteem' or 'Drawing a secret place where I can immerse myself'.
Expressive activities have the effect of helping me to understand more specifically who I am as I organize and integrate my story.


For those interested in joining a picture book reading group, we also provide specific and diverse meeting methods.
Appendix 1 provides a detailed explanation of the process and preparations for the regular meeting of 'Picture Book 37 Degrees' run by the author.
This guide provides specific guidance for adults planning to hold a picture book reading group, including selecting topics to read together, organizing books by topic, selecting books that fit the nature of the group, creating questions, and organizing expression activities.
In addition, at the end of each chapter, we included a list of picture books that are better read together by topic, and in Appendix 2, we also provided examples of ‘various picture book reading groups.’