Daniel San Souci

A humble and kindhearted woodcutter saves the life of a hunted deer in the mountains in this picture book retelling of a Korean folktale from American author Daniel San Souci and expatriate Korean illustrator Eujin Kim Neilan, and is rewarded accordingly. Told to present himself at a beautiful mountain lake at the full moon, and to take the clothing of one of the five heavenly maidens who descend to bathe, the woodcutter is given his heart's desire: a wife and companion, and eventually, a show more child. Deeply in love, he forgets the deer's warning not to give give his wife back her heavenly garments until after the birth of their second child, and ends up losing both wife and daughter. Will he live in sorrow forever, or will the deer help him again...?

In the Moonlight Mist: A Korean Tale is the fifth picture book I have read from San Souci, following upon his own lovely North Country Night, and three others he illustrated, but it is the first I have seen from Neilan. The pair also collaborated on The Rabbit and the Dragon King: Based on a Korean Folk Tale, with the two books appearing to be the only titles from San Souci that he himself did not illustrate. In any case, I found the story enjoyable, and appreciated the happy ending, in which the woodcutter is reunited with his love, not just because of his initial kind deed, but also because of the fact that he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness for his elderly mother's welfare, thereby demonstrating filial piety. The illustrations, done in acrylic, are lovely, with a textured, painterly feeling that was quite appealing. I will definitely be seeking out the other book this pair created, and would recommend this one to young folklore enthusiasts, as well as to those seeking traditional Korean stories. show less

Author/illustrator Daniel San Souci explores the world of nocturnal animals during the winter in this gorgeous picture book. When the lights go out at the cabin by the lake, and darkness falls, a variety of creatures—a great horned owl, coyote, fox, mountain lion, porcupine, cottontail rabbit, bobcat, beaver, long-tailed weasel, raccoon, river otter, and mule deer—emerge. The text describes how each one passes by other creatures, as they go about their various activities...

Although I show more have read and enjoyed a number of books which San Souci has illustrated—Robert D. San Souci's Sootface: An Ojibwa Cinderella Story, Eric A. Kimmel's The Flying Canoe: A Christmas Story, Aaron Shepard's The Gifts of Wali Dad: A Tale of India and Pakistan—North Country Night is the first title I have picked up that he both wrote and illustrated. I found the narrative simple but engaging, depicting a wide variety of animal species, but carefully avoiding having any of them come into close contact, no doubt in order to avoid having to depict the hunt and the kill in a picture book aimed at younger children. The accompanying artwork was truly gorgeous, really elevating this one for me. I'm fond of wintry landscapes, and San Souci captures them beautifully, while also skillfully depicting each animal mentioned. Recommended to young animal lovers, and to any picture book readers looking for tales of the wintry woods. show less

This book is based on an ancient Korean folktale from 642 A.D.Stunning illustrations of an underwater world and gripping text make for an outstanding window into Korean folk tales.
The Dragon King is a powerful king as well as a total hypochondriac, and his wife is at her wits' end.The court magician convinces him that eating a rabbit's heart will cure him.
The amphibious turtle offers himself up for this task.He finds and convinces a rabbit to go back to the Dragon King. Once there, the show more rabbit cannily wriggles out of being eaten by offering up a persimmon as his heart. The placebo works like a charm and the King is cured! And the rabbit lived the rest of days happily basking in the warm sun. show less

If Jan Brett's The Mitten grew up and became a nonfiction-style picture book, this is what you would get. An attractively illustrated (though it looks a bit like day-for-night lighting) peek into the lives of woodland wildlife in winter. 2nd grade might be the peak interest level.