Grandfather who found spring

Description

Long, long winter, an isolated house in the mountains
For the grandmother waiting for a warm spring
Grandfather sets out to find spring.
But there is no spring in the mountains, fields, or streams.
They say that neither bears, pheasants, nor snakes have seen spring.

In the long, long winter, grandfather leaves to find spring for grandmother.
Where is spring?

Once upon a time, a grandfather and grandmother lived in a remote house deep in the mountains. Spring has passed, summer and fall have passed, and the white winter has arrived. Grandfather and grandmother spend their time doing housework or sewing, but this winter has been particularly long and difficult to bear. On a night when snow was falling, her grandmother inadvertently said that she hoped spring would come quickly. Then the grandfather falls into deep thought. Then he says this: “I will bring spring!”
Where does grandpa go to find spring in this cold winter? Even though Grandma tries to stop him, Grandpa doesn't listen and decides to go on a trip to find spring the next morning. Her grandmother had no choice but to put a few of her rice balls in her grandfather's backpack and tell him to search up the hill behind her and come back if she couldn't find spring.
I shouted loudly, but my grandfather actually didn't know where spring was. After thinking carefully, the old man decided to ask the animals. The first thing he did was to find a hibernating bear. He gave him a rice ball and asked him if he knew where spring was. The bear said he didn't know, but the pheasant might know. So the grandfather went to look for the pheasant, but neither the pheasant nor the thousand-year-old Imoogi knew where spring was.
The grandfather, who had been looking for spring here and there while facing the pouring snow, collapsed from exhaustion. His eyes are growing more and more, and his grandfather's eyes are closing more and more. Meanwhile, a warm energy spread from somewhere, and the sweet scent of spring flowers wafted out. What could this be? Will Grandpa be able to find spring?

Features of this book

Story structure containing the snow matchmaking tale

Plum blossoms, orchids, chrysanthemums, and bamboos are called the Four Gentlemen and have been used as painting materials by painters since ancient times. Plum blossoms mean spring, orchids mean summer, chrysanthemums mean fall, and bamboo means winter. 『Grandpa in Search of Spring』 contains the story of plum blossoms blooming in the snow in early spring at the end of winter.
Seoljungmae is a plum blossom that blooms beautifully in the cold winter snow. When red plum blossoms appear amidst the white snow, people will know that spring has come. Plum blossoms also appear in many poems and paintings by ancient scholars. This is because I discovered the spirit of fidelity and virtue that a scholar should have in the plum blossoms that burst into flower buds in the cold winter snow.
Shinjam was a painter of the Joseon Dynasty, and his painting Tammaedo depicts a scene in which a scholar searches for plum blossoms in a snow-covered mountain with his children. For scholars, finding plum blossoms meant finding self-discipline and virtue within themselves, so they chose this subject as their favorite subject to draw.
『Grandfather in Search of Spring』 is a work created while recalling the hearts of ancestors who waited for spring and left in search of plum blossoms. The grandfather in the story also waits anxiously for spring and tastes the joy of spring through the plum blossoms he encounters. How about reading 『Grandpa in Search of Spring』 with your children and talking about the meaning of plum blossoms as thought by ancient scholars?

A lyrical picture book expressing warm spring

Author Han Tae-hee wrote and drew “Grandpa in Search of Spring” while waiting for a warm spring last winter, which was particularly long and snowy. Perhaps that's why her grandfather's journey to find spring is expressed more lyrically and warmly. Lines reminiscent of ink-and-wash paintings and colors with a traditional yet modern feel add depth of emotion. In her work, I Can See White Snow, the scene of red plum blossoms blooming across a bookshelf catches the reader's eye. She also took pains to express the grain of the paper as it was when creating the book to bring out the flavor of her paintings.
As the grandfather searches for spring and eventually finds it, children understand the seasons and learn the importance of spring. The flowers and various animals that appear throughout the work were expressed with great care, and the contrast between the cold winter fields and the spring fields was added to the fun on the front and back pages. Feel the brilliant scent of spring while looking at the red plum blossoms that appear in 『Grandpa in Search of Spring』.