Corner is a whimsical, almost wordless picture book by Korean author and illustrator, ZO-O.
The story is about a crow who makes a cramped corner into a space for living and loving – a home. The crow starts a new life in an empty corner. After a while, the crow begins to gather objects: a bed, a bookshelf, a rug. A shelf appears with books and a lamp to read by. Lastly, the crow brings a small plant to complete the corner. The plant flourishes with the crow’s loving care.
In the newly furnished space, the crow eats, reads and cares for the plant by providing light from the lamp, watering it, and sleeping by its side. The crow considers what else the plant might need. Holding a yellow crayon, it draws windows on the wall, all different shapes and sizes. Now the corner is surrounded by all types of pretend windows. The crow also creates patterns and art on the wall. Next, the crow delightfully plays music and dances for the plant. However, no matter how many sunlight-like windows the corner has, the crow perceives “something is still missing.” The plant grows tall but its stem is feeble, the delicate leaves tremble and their green hue is dull. The crow finally brings in a circular saw to create a real opening for a window. The plant grows stronger in the new light. The crow stands in the sunshine, looking out through the window, but keeping a distance. The window remains closed. At night bright moonlight seeps into the dark corner and illuminates it. Beneath the moonlight, the crow is awake and in deep thought. The next morning, the crow opens the window. Fresh green leaves extend over the window threshold toward the world. The crow greets a white bird who is looking in.
Children will enjoy the opportunity to predict what will happen next. Will the crow invite the white bird to come in? If so, what might the white bird contribute to the corner to make it even more home-like? Involve children in carefully examining the illustrations, and considering what objects they might bring into their own small space to make it homey.
The softy colored, detailed illustrations build the story to its satisfying conclusion. The contrast of the endpapers’ color, gray in the front versus bright yellow in the back, effectively reveals the story’s changing mood. Spare language creates rich opportunities for discussion about how the story unfolds through the illustrations.
This picturebook was originally published in Korea and translated into English. ZO-O is an author and illustrator who lives in Korea. In the Korean edition, she shares that she is grateful for art and stories in the world and hopes her drawings provide courage and solace.–Recommended by Hee Young Kim, Assistant Professor West Texas A&M University
Title: Corner
Author and Illustrator: ZO-O
Translator: Ellen Jang
ISBN: 9781771475327
Publisher: Owlkids
PubDate: March 15, 2023
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- Themes: Corner, HeeYoung Kim, Zo-O
- Descriptors: WOW Recommends