1.
The Return of Wanini
2.
Children grow up
3.
An ordinary day
4.
The Lost Children
5.
tragedy
6.
The price of life
7.
The saddest place
8.
Thanks to the hyena
9.
The Lion We Met Again
10.
Madiba group
11.
It's raining now
12.
A child with good ears
13.
belated pursuit
14.
Maisha the Lioness
15.
Wind of the Grassland

Author's Note

★Bestselling 『Blue Lion Wanini』 Series Volumes 4 and 5 Released Simultaneously★
★★2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award Honor List Selection★★

Overcoming sadness and moving forward towards hope
The Journey of the Blue Lion Wanini

Wanini, who formed a group of friends in the previous episode and became a proper leader, has returned as a mother.
Wanini, who was spending happy days with her newborn pups, suffers great sorrow from an unexpected accident.
As she endures difficult times, Wanini realizes the truth that life always contains both joy and sorrow, and courageously faces her wounds.
Wanini's journey of overcoming trials and becoming stronger is depicted with the delicate touch of author Lee Hyeon, delivering a moving story.
The "Blue Lion Wanini" series was included in the list of "Books that Children Around the World Should Read Together" selected by the IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) in 2022.

“Great Wanini, now it seems the rumors are a little true.”
Wanini returns as a mother, and the Wanini world expands even wider and deeper.

The 'Blue Lion Wanini' series, which depicts the process of weak lions joining forces to overcome crises in a harsh wild environment, has established itself as a true bestseller in children's literature in Korea.
The story of Wanini, a wandering lioness who grows into a lioness who leads a pride, received enthusiastic support from young readers.
In Volume 5, three lion cubs are born to Wanini and Barabara, who are now five years old.
Malaika's babies and Wanini's babies become a new family, and the Wanini group enjoys days of perfect peace.
Then, a tragedy occurs in which children lose their lives in an unexpected accident.
Wanini and her friends, overcome with grief, use harsh words to hide their hurt, hurting each other even more. After a conflict, Wanini secretly leaves the Black Land in the middle of the night.
Will Wanini be able to overcome the pain of losing her beloved?
It depicts the lonely journey of Wanini, who leaves the group and wanders alone in an unfamiliar land in search of hope for tomorrow.


“Sadness is everywhere, like the wind.
“No one can avoid the wind.”
If we cannot avoid sadness, what should we do?

Wanini, feeling miserable about his situation of wandering aimlessly, just like the night he was driven out of the Madiba group in his childhood, unconsciously arrives at Madiba's territory.
Wanini, who met Madiba after a long time, finally understands the sadness that lies in the life of a lioness who leads a pride, and realizes that Madiba has lived through countless hardships, striving to fulfill her responsibilities as leader.


Madiba tried her best, but she couldn't block out all the sadness.
No one in the meadow could do that.
(…) Madiba’s loud roar was a sound filled with sorrow.
Wanini now heard that sad sound.
(Pages 136-37)

Author Lee Hyeon captures the pain of loss that Wanini experiences with tearful yet calm sentences, conveying the truth that not only the animals of the grassland but all beings in the world cannot escape the sadness that comes with life, and that each person endures and lives through sadness in their own way.
The way Wanini's mothers deal with their sadness is to 'live hard today', and although she doesn't have the confidence to do it like her mothers, Wanini decides to run through the meadow once again.
“He is small and weak, and sometimes he doesn’t trust himself,” but Wanini believes that if he “lives hard today” (from the author’s note), he will one day encounter the joy hidden in the grass. This makes readers who have consistently loved the series empathize with the one-year-old lion cub Wanini and feel Wanini’s growth, while leaving a poignant aftertaste.

“The wind on the prairie blew relentlessly, and I had to run as fast as I could to avoid being blown away by the wind.”
The prelude to a new adventure unfolding for the great lion Wanini.

In Volume 5, Wanini experiences another heartbreaking breakup.
Maisha, who was like a real sister to me, left Wanini and formed a new group.
Having learned to silently accept the sadness of separation, Wanini respects Maisha's choice with a mature attitude.
Wanini knows that while living on the grassland, she will have to say goodbye to precious beings many times, and that after each goodbye, another meeting will come as a gift.
It is the power of sadness that Wanini has learned through his long and lonely journey, and the truth of the prairie that will never change.
The final scene, where Wanini begins today's hunt with renewed vigor, with the miraculously surviving babies and friends still by her side, leaves a deep impression and makes us look forward to Wanini's future.
The story of Wanini, who overcomes her sorrow and embarks on a new adventure with a stronger heart, continues in the future.