Nami Rhee

Encountering a fierce tiger in the mountains, the clever woodcutter in this Korean folktale convinces the wild feline that they are brothers and that he, the tiger, was once a human being. Grieved at this news, the dutiful tiger begins to provide regular game for his human mother, showing the human woodcutter the true meaning of filial devotion. When his mother dies and the gifts stop, the woodcutter assumes that his tiger brother is aware of the news, only to discover that this wild sibling show more has died himself, but has passed on his good qualities to his tiger children...

Originally published in a bilingual Korean/English edition in 1988 (I read a reprint edition from 1998), Woodcutter and Tiger Brother was author/illustrator Nami Rhee's debut, featuring a fascinating story and visually striking illustrations. Born and raised in South Korea, Rhee lived and studied in the United States for a while, where she created her other picture book, Magic Spring: A Korean Folktale, which was published in 1993 as part of Tomie dePaola's Whitebird Books imprint, which was active in the early 1990s, and which included a number of folk tales from around the world. It is this later book which introduced me to Rhee, and which led me to discover this earlier, bilingual picture book, which I had to obtain through inter-library loan. I am glad I did, as I enjoyed this one a great deal. The use of the tigrine figure as a role model of virtue and filial piety is an interesting one—perhaps the original storyteller meant to emphasize that if a tiger can be a dutiful son, so can a man?—and while a part of me did wish to know what happened afterward, between the woodcutter and his "nephews," I appreciated the story overall. The artwork, done in ink and possibly watercolor, using a limited color palette and bold brush strokes, had a strong sense of movement, and was very expressive. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, and to anyone seeking picture book retellings of traditional Korean tales. show less

An elderly woodcutter and his wife carry on despite their poverty and childlessness in this retelling of a traditional tale from Korea. Ridiculed by their neighbor, who is far wealthier than they, they keep silent and never complain. Then one day, enchanted by the song of a bluebird that he follows into the mountains, the elderly man finds a spring, and drinking its pure, cold water, is transformed—once more a strong and healthy young man. Taking his wife to the spring, the woodcutter sees show more her transformed into a young woman. Delighting in the new lease on life that has been given to them, they share the news with their neighbor, whose greed in consuming the water ends up giving the couple the one thing more precious than youth...

Born and raised in South Korea, where she currently resides, author/illustrator Nami Rhee created Magic Spring: A Korean Folktale while living in the United States, where it was published. It appears to be one of only two books to her credit, the other being Woodcutter and Tiger Brother, which also appears to be a folkloric retelling. This one was published by G.P. Putnam's Sons as part of their Whitebird Books imprint, which was active in the early 1990s, and which included a number of folk tales from around the world. In his foreword, imprint editor Tomie dePaola mentions that the tale presented here was a childhood favorite of Rhee. In any case, I found the story in Magic Spring, and was not expecting the conclusion, in which the greedy neighbor grows so young after drinking the magic water that he becomes a baby and is adopted by the couple. I don't think I've ever encountered a traditional tale in which the antagonist grows young and is becomes the baby of those he tormented. I definitely appreciated that unusual ending, and I also appreciated the illustrations, which were created using Korean rice paper, ink and watercolor. I enjoyed the subtle but lovely color palette used, and the folk style overall. The inclusion of Korean phrases in the artwork was a nice touch as well. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts in general, and to picture book readers looking for Korean stories. show less