Can the small voices of picture books change the world?
A spirit of solidarity that speaks out together and does not remain silent for a world where we can all live together.

Researchers of children's and young adult literature who have spent a long time reading and studying picture books introduce picture books that illuminate life 'here and now.'
From the climate crisis to animal rights, labor, children and youth, women, gender, disability, seniors, multiculturalism, and peace.
Divided into ten themes, we look into the diverse voices of society that we are missing today through the window of picture books.
"Picture Books That Don't Be Silent" examines how picture books confront reality, raise issues, and confront the world without silence.
The book follows the gaze of those who cannot speak out in the blind spots of society and points out the problems of the social structure that cause them to remain silent.

This book poses questions rather than providing answers.
We reflect on the spirit of solidarity that comes from paying attention to the marginalized people around us and speaking out with them.
It emphasizes that an attitude of not remaining silent is important for a world where we can live together.
While reading this book, readers will listen to the stories of those who cannot speak, and take the first step toward a more compassionate world.
Through the simple yet powerful language of picture books, it will serve as a warm guide that broadens our perspectives on the world we live in together.

This book does not provide the answers.
I just hope that this will be a journey where we ask questions together, feel pain together, and have hope together.
I hope that the time you spend reading this book will become a time to listen to someone's silence and open your heart to the stories of those who cannot speak.
We must move beyond listening to the voices of those who cannot but remain silent, and move forward with an attitude of not remaining silent for the sake of the world we live in together.
I believe that caring for the marginalized around us, and having the courage and solidarity to speak out with them, is the direction we must take in life.
I sincerely hope that this book will serve as a small stepping stone to broadening that perspective.
--- From "Entering"

A person appears in an empty land filled with silence.
It is humans who have destroyed the forest, but it is also humans who can restore the forest.
He takes a slow but steady approach to cultivating trees.
If you pull the paper in the center of the last page, sprouts will sprout all over the white margins.
My small gesture brought life to an empty land.
Could there be a more dynamic impulse? Animals return to the forest where trees grow, and even the sloths that had left return.
Now we have to choose.
Will we sacrifice nature for our greater desires, or will we practice moderation and coexistence for a sustainable future?
Our choices will soon determine the fate of the Earth.
--- 「1.
From “Climate Crisis, For a Sustainable Earth”

We say we love animals, but we often forget that that love is given differentially according to human-defined standards.
Just because they look or are of different species, some animals are loved, some are shunned, and some are put on display in cages or put on dinner tables.
My heart aches at the sight of the lonely back of the snowstorm leaving the village.
What happened to the blizzard after that?
--- 「2.
From “Animal Rights, Living Together on Earth”

The word 'vacation', meaning vacation, comes from the Latin word 'vacatio', meaning 'empty'.
It may mean resting the body and emptying the mind of worries and uncomfortable feelings.
How precious is the process of finding a good balance between work and rest? Life is a balancing act of "plus" and "minus."
Life can be enriched when there is appropriate filling and emptying in the body and mind.

There is a picture book that depicts the working people in a fun and lively way.
In "Bob and Dance," women's work is a means of livelihood for their families and their own future.
But we see that 'attitude' in the way they work.
Against a pure white background, they stretch out their hands and feet towards the world.
'Sararak, whirrrik swish swish, chararak chak chak, pop chak, slightly, poddeuk, bang, bok bok bok, tunggu dung doong' are beautiful gestures that give a sense of freedom.
--- 「3.
From “Labor, the Value of a Drop of Sweat”

“There are adults who try to drive all by themselves.”

At the end, the boy in the children's car still sits there with an unsatisfied expression.
As hinted at in the original title, 'Grown-Ups Get To Do All The Driving', the recurring appearance of cars signifies that adults want to do everything their way.
The attitude of adults who try to control even the lives of children is expressed in the scene of driving a car.
--- From "Children and Adolescents, Children Grow Up"

These three picture books make us think about our attitudes toward preparing for separation and accepting death.
Death is not a fearful or scary separation, but rather a connection between the past and the present, and it remains as a beautiful memory even after death and lives on in our memories.
Death is neither a journey to darkness nor the end of life.
It is a comma that comes in the journey of human life.
Isn't this a time to pause, reflecting on the memories and gratitude for what our loved ones left behind? After a full rest, we can continue on with our lives, taking up what they left behind.
--- From "Old Man, On Life and Death"

You can still see the doll hanging from the pole.
Will the remaining dolls choose a comfortable life without adventure? Or will they escape the table, as depicted on the back cover? There's even a scene where they help a fellow player with an injured knee to escape together.
Jump into the world to find freedom, not alone, but with your colleagues.
Everyone is holding each other's hands and leading each other on a beautiful escape.
Their fight is just beginning, and together they can do anything.

In this way, the women in the picture book break the framework of unreasonable rules, oppression, and institutions and move toward freedom.
Rather than conforming to fixed roles, speak up and take action.
Their changes went beyond the deviation of one individual and had a positive influence on women living in the same era.
Their rebellion, breaking the mold and moving forward, is beautiful.
--- From "Women, Speaking of Feminism"

In this chapter, we will reexamine the meaning of ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ through various picture books.
I hope that by encountering various forms of love and family, we will come to realize that the things we take for granted are actually socially constructed.
Discussing gender issues is not simply a trend; it is an important step toward making our society more equal and inclusive of diverse identities.
This society begins in books and in the lives of our children.
--- From "Gender, the Iron Cage of Sex"

Picture books help us perceive the flow of words in a new way through the image of a river, and they offer empathy and comfort not only to children with speech impediments but also to all children who are unfamiliar with language.
At the same time, it raises questions about society's view that divides children's linguistic expressions into "normal" and "abnormal," and fosters sensitivity to accept differences as they are.
--- From "Disability, It's Not Wrong, It's Just Different"

Understanding other cultures through books can be a way for us, living in a multiracial and multicultural era, to not forget to respect and be considerate of others.
This process provides an opportunity to understand one's own roots and those of one's parents and to feel proud of them.
Because a healthy identity comes from understanding and respect.
--- From "Multiculturalism, Asking for Everyone's Well-being"

The mouse country in the picture book symbolically shows the structure of a democratic country.
The mice elect a leader every four years, but it is always a black cat.
The black cats made laws in favor of the cats, and it became increasingly difficult for the mice to survive.
Eventually, the mice decide not to pick the black cat anymore.
The newly elected leader was a white cat.
But the result did not change.
The mice chose various leaders, such as a white cat and a spotted cat, but the fact that they were 'cats' did not change.
Why did the mice keep picking on the cat?

--- From "Peace, Hands of Solidarity Extended to Each Other"