In our traditional fairy tales, there is the wisdom of our ancestors, quietly piled up like an old stone wall.
That wisdom is a heart that is not shaken by the wind, and the breath of people who do not lose their smile even at small things.
In the story, we learn so many paths.
A heart to help others, the courage to embrace those weaker than ourselves, and the wisdom to see the world through different eyes.
But how can we pass that path on to our children?
What if a mother, father, or teacher sat next to a child, quietly turning the pages and reading a story? The child would learn the light of storytelling, following the warmth of their parent's breath, and the adult would learn about the world anew through the child's gaze.
If we ask and answer each other, "What meaning is hidden in this story?" then fairy tales will no longer be mere old tales, but will become mirrors that reflect today's lives.
These days, there are many books that retell traditional fairy tales.
However, there are not many books that help children think and talk together while reading stories.
That's why I created this book.
I have selected ten traditional Korean fairy tales that offer a perspective on the world.
I refined the plot by referring to the Encyclopedia of Oral Literature and the Dictionary of Folklore, and rewrote it so that children would laugh and be moved without damaging the original ending.
Each story is divided into several sections with questions that parents and teachers can share with their children.
We also include lessons and symbols from the story, its implications for today's life, and similar stories from other countries around the world.
Finally, I've included two games and activity sheets that you can do with your child.
This book is not just for reading stories.
This is a book for living the story together.
If parents and children understand the meaning of traditional fairy tales and read them together, and if they share these stories and share their thoughts with each other, the conversations they share will become much deeper and broader.
It's as if an old story is blooming again in our hearts today.