· The great power of small empathy
An era in which individual life and activities have greatly increased compared to communal life.
Not only has communication with neighbors decreased, but many people feel awkward even exchanging simple greetings.
Mr. Hedgehog in “Mary’s Restaurant” can be said to be a character that represents such people.
He is a person who is awkward with words and has difficulty expressing his feelings.
Because people don't understand him, and because Mr. Hedgehog doesn't understand people like that, he just stays alone.
Then one day, Mr. Hedgehog finds a red balloon and goes to Merry's Restaurant, which is led by the red balloon.
There were guests with similar personalities to Mr. Hedgehog there first.
We sit awkwardly around just one table, each eating the food the old man at the restaurant serves.
But every time I ate food, warm memories I had forgotten came back to me.
That warm memory seemed to slowly melt my frozen heart.
A smile spread across my face, and I looked around to see everyone laughing.
In that way, laughter met laughter and became bigger laughter, and those laughter erased the awkwardness and tension.
Before you know it, Mr. Hedgehog and his guests are chatting affectionately like good friends and enjoying a pleasant meal together.
We often become wary of and distance ourselves from others because of small differences between us.
And because of the small things we have in common, it's easy to empathize and get along.
“Mary’s Restaurant” helps us understand those small differences and reminds us of the importance of the warmth we share.

· Even if we are a little lacking, we are all the main characters.
One winter day, four guests visit Mary's Restaurant.
Mr. Hedgehog who cannot approach others because his face is sharp, Mr. Lonely Cat who is always alone and lonely, Mr. Goose who is separated from his family, and Mr. Turtle who lives a difficult life carrying a heavy load on his back.
Why did author Kim Yu use animal names to describe lonely and desolate people? It wasn't simple personification; it was a device to capture the diverse faces of our hearts.
It was set up so that young readers could easily visualize, think about, and empathize with each character just by looking at the animal names.

Everyone has moments when they feel prickly, lonely, and tired.
Both appearance and inner feelings cannot be the same.
I wanted to show that even if you have some shortcomings or deficiencies, you can still be a protagonist.
I think the most important thing in life is to have an unbiased perspective.
Because there is no one in the world who is perfect or has no shortcomings.
From “Interview with Writer Kim Yu”

People who lived apart from the world for their own reasons.
As the reader watches them come to Mary's Restaurant and sit at the same table to eat together, he or she will naturally smile and say, "Thank goodness."
This scene is the beginning of understanding others, and it is also a moment when we realize the warmth of being together.
“Mary’s Restaurant” naturally teaches young readers how to make the world a warmer place.

· The temperature of emotions shown through color changes
The introduction of “Mary’s Restaurant” conveys a cold and chilling feeling to the reader with its bluish colors and dark winter street scenes.
And the moment Mr. Hedgehog opens the door to Mary's Restaurant and enters, the temperature of the scene gradually rises to colors such as red, cream, and colorful decorations.
Artist Sobok expressed Mr. Hedgehog's 'heart melting moment' with a change of color from blue to red.
Along with this, it excludes explanations that comfort Mr. Hedgehog's heart, and shows the 'warmth of togetherness' through the sympathetic eyes and smiles of people with similar hearts.
We have captured the essence of Mary's Restaurant, a space of warmth shared even in a cold world, in a subtle yet subtle way.