“I imagined a world that readily accepts differences as diversity.”
The world of Choi Min-ji's work has become deeper, richer, and more solid.

Author Minji Choi, who has firmly established herself as 'the most beloved picture book author among children' and 'the next generation of picture book authors' who have captivated both adult readers and picture book experts, presents her sixth original picture book.
Beginning with his first work, "Octopus Bathhouse," the author filled children's loneliness, fear, and shrinking hearts with joy and refreshment in a magical fantasy space. He has since expanded his themes by focusing on the relationship between self and others, and the new worlds experienced through books.


In her new work, “The Wall-Climbing Child,” author Minji Choi presents a world of work that has become deeper, richer, and more solid.
The first thing he noticed was our perspective on ‘difference.’
An 'ordinary village' where everything is standardized, from hats to clothes to houses.
This is the village where the boy who climbs the wall lives.
The child's parents constantly monitor the child and get angry whenever the child climbs the wall to avoid sending the child to a "children's home" that adults have designated as a "strange child."
Calling in all kinds of experts, including doctors, scientists, religious figures, and shamans, to try to treat the patient, nothing changes.


What if we apply the work to reality?
The 'wall-climbing child' in the work could be 'a child with a different skin color', 'a child with a disability', or 'an other person who thinks differently from me' in reality.
‘The adults of an ordinary village’ can be ‘me’ and ‘all of us’ at the same time.
The work is filled with keen insight into the human condition of not being able to understand others as they are and drawing boundaries and being wary, and the inclusiveness and affection that seeks to embrace even the smallest voices of all those who are discriminated against for being different and shunned for being a minority.
With the unique cheerfulness and cheekiness of author Minji Choi!

“Want to climb the wall with me?”
A story of solidarity, where children break down barriers and achieve liberation on their own.

The child, who had guessed that he too would soon be sent to the hat shop, seemed to have made up his mind and, more joyful than ever, he climbed the wall and circled the room without anyone's interference.
Then someone greets the child from outside the window.
He was a child living in a hat house.
The boy who climbs the wall decides.
I will go to the hat shop on my own, not by adults.
Then he strides out the window.
The child who arrived at the castle begins to climb the castle walls.
Following them, the children trapped in the castle also climb the wall.
One by one, one by one, countless children line up and climb the wall together.
Exciting and lighthearted, each with their own style and freedom.
A child who accepts that he or she is different from others and bravely ventures into another wide world by forming bonds with children similar to himself or herself.
In this respect, "The Wall-Climbing Boy" is truly a picture book of children, by children, and for children.


The children who are the main characters in author Minji Choi's works break down the boundaries that have been keeping them bound and choose to break free 'on their own'.
And that choice ultimately changes others too.
Just as the children who were trapped in the castle finally gained courage and were freed from the castle thanks to the wall-climbing child who went to the castle, a place of fear, and reached out his hand to climb the wall together.
Through the children in the work, the author conveys to young readers that we are not alone, but are all connected, and that we can move forward if we stand together in solidarity.
Perhaps it is because of her understanding of children and her heart for encouraging them in a childlike way that author Minji Choi has received the absolute support and love of young readers.

“I want to become an author who continues to show new sides of himself.”
_A story enriched by concise breathing, contrasting lines and colors, colorful compositions, and meticulous devices.

Author Minji Choi wants to meet readers with a different side of herself, a different story, and tools she hasn't used before.
This work is full of the author's hopes and efforts.


The uniform houses that symbolize the 'ordinary village' and the village elders wearing similar clothes and hats are expressed in achromatic colors, while the main character is boldly highlighted with a blue marker, adding a vivid contrast.
Additionally, while the villagers are depicted with tight, detailed lines, the main character is depicted with thick, untidy lines.
The story unfolds dynamically between scenes thanks to the clever use of limited pages and space, with the child climbing walls, hanging upside down and walking along the ceiling, climbing down walls, climbing out windows, and climbing castle walls.


In this work, Minji Choi's concise and flowing sentences and unique, fresh drawing style stand out.
The tiny pictures hidden and placed here and there like a game of hide-and-seek are important clues and fun elements that connect the cover, the pages, and the main text scenes, so there is not a single scene or picture that can be passed over carelessly.
The author's meticulous attention to detail, even incorporating narratives into the smallest characters and animals, enriches the story even further.