Magic Candies
A quirky story about finding your voice, from internationally acclaimed author Heena Baek.
Tong Tong could never have imagined what everyone around him was thinking. But when he gets hold of some magic candies, suddenly there are voices everywhere. He can hear how his couch feels, what upsets his dog, that his demanding dad loves him. He even gets to catch up with his dead grandmother. It turns out, these voices in Tong Tong's life have A LOT to say! Is Tong Tong ready to hear it?
At turns funny, weird, and heartfelt, this imaginative picture book from award-winning Korean author Heena Baek will take readers along on Tong Tong's journey as he goes from lonely to brave.
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Heena Baek is an acclaimed picture book author and illustrator from South Korea. She won the 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, a huge international award honoring the body of work of children's book creators. She studied educational technology at Ewha Womans University and animation at the California Institute of the Arts. Utilizing her diverse animation production experience, Heena creates powerful and interesting picture books, often sculpting characters and building sets. She is the author and illustrator of a number of picture books, many of which have been translated and have received awards from South Korea and internationally. Follow her on Twitter @heenastory.
Sophie Bowman studied social anthropology and Korean studies at SOAS University of London before going on to complete an MA in Korean literature at Ewha Womans University. She is now a PhD student at the University of Toronto, studying Korean literature. Sophie was a recipient of the ICF Literature Translation Fellowship during her studies at Ewha. She won the Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Award grand prize for poetry in 2015 with her translations of Jin Eun-young and co-translated Kim Bo-Young's I'm Waiting for You and Other Stories. Follow her on Twitter @SophieOrbital.
Sophie Bowman studied social anthropology and Korean studies at SOAS University of London before completing an MA in Korean literature at Ewha Womans University. She is now a PhD student at the University of Toronto, studying Korean literature. Sophie was a recipient of the ICF Literature Translation Fellowship during her studies at Ewha. She won the Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Award grand prize for poetry in 2015 with her translations of Jin Eun-young, and she co-translated Kim Bo-young's I'm Waiting for You: And Other Stories. She recently translated the picture book Magic Candies by Heena Baek, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Follow her on Twitter @SophieOrbital.
"Show-stopping spreads by Baek, similar to art by Red Nose Studio, feature molded, emotive figures in meticulously constructed scenery with miniature furniture, photographed under dramatic lighting--an effect startlingly close to animation. It's a fully realized world that considers discerning meaning and making friends, while offering artwork that lingers in the memory." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The enhanced artwork establishes depth and perspective...depictions of facial expressions are skillful and endearing, and the interplay between text and illustrations will cause readers to linger and ponder. An enigmatic, quirky representation of an active imagination in search of understanding and companionship." --Kirkus Reviews
"This picture book import is so good that it's been turned into stage productions in South Korea...You'll also be sure to treat your couch with greater kindness after a single read." --NPR
"Hilarious and heartbreaking, this inventive picture book will change the way readers view their world." --New York Public Library
"Deeply touching, funny, and incredibly odd, this is the kind of picture book that gets you excited about picture books all over again...Magic Candies is so remarkable...a book that is both about giving voice to the voiceless and finding your own." --Betsy Bird, School Library Journal
"Magic Candies is an incredibly sophisticated work of art as well as an unusual, funny, and moving story making it a winning combination." --Outside In World
"At turns funny, weird, and heartfelt, this imaginative picture book from Korean author and storyteller Heena Baek will take readers along on Tong Tong's journey as he goes from lonely to brave. Uniquely illustrated with color photography, and skillfully translated into English by Sophie Bowman, Magic Candies is especially and unreservedly recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library picture book collections for children ages 4-8." --Midwest Book Review
