Description A unique and charming fable, ≪Suddenly, a Queen≫, written by David Cali—beloved for his rich imagination and witty storytelling—and translated into Korean by singer-songwriter Lucid Fall, who sings of life through beautiful language. Once upon a time, in a certain pond, there lived a group of frogs. They spent their joyful summer nights leaping about, playing with dragonflies, and singing "ribbit, ribbit, ribbit." But everything changed after a small, sparkling crown fell into the pond! All the frogs had no time to rest, as they scrambled to catch flies to offer to the frog who became queen and her attendants. Will the frogs ever get their joyful summer nights back? "How exactly did you become queen? Why does the frog who found the crown get to be queen?" The frogs' choice to reclaim their peaceful, song-filled summer nights! After the queen appeared, the songs disappeared from the pond! One day, a frog appeared wearing a crown on its head, and the other frogs burst into thunderous applause, shouting, "It's the Frog Queen!" Now, what should the Frog Queen do? Even the crowned frog didn't know. Then some frogs claimed to know all about what a queen should do, listing rule after rule. The queen decided to follow their advice. She stopped speaking with the other frogs, demanded wide leaves be brought so her feet wouldn't get wet, and ordered plump flies to be caught not just for her but for her attendants too. Anyone who disobeyed would be punished. Since the queen and her attendants were always hungry, the other frogs had to endlessly catch flies to offer them. The frogs grew so exhausted that they could no longer sing after dinner. Now, so much had changed in the pond. Just yesterday, every frog caught its own flies. No one pushed their own work onto others, no one gave orders, and of course, no one was punished for disobeying orders that didn't exist. Finally, sensing that something was terribly wrong, the frogs asked, "How exactly did you become queen?" Did she really become queen just "by chance"? It's said that picture books contain two worlds: reality and the world of story, existing like two sides of a coin. These two are not separate but rather two views of the same subject. We look at reality through stories, and understand stories through reality. Growing and changing through this mutual influence—that is the true power of picture books. ≪Suddenly, a Queen≫ is a book that, in this sense, poses many questions to us. The frogs think, "Why doesn't the queen do anything?" and "Why does the queen order us to catch flies even for her attendants?"—believing that something must be wrong with the 'queen.' But is the queen really the only one at fault? Who was it that decided she was 'their queen' simply because she wore a small, sparkling crown? Who was it that agreed they must obey whatever the queen commanded? Did she really become queen just "by chance"? We live in a democratic society. The word 'democracy' comes from the Greek word 'demokratia,' meaning 'rule by the people.' Article 1 of our constitution also states, "The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea resides in the people, and all state authority emanates from the people." In other words, it is the people who grant power, and it is also the people who must watch over it with clear, sharp eyes and take responsibility. But sometimes, caught up in the moment, we forget what truly matters—just like the frogs who were captivated by a small, shiny crown they'd never seen before, by the clever-sounding words of the attendants, and by the very word 'queen.' Only after losing the crown does the pond return to its former self. But it probably won't be quite the same as before. What would happen if another crown fell into the pond? Perhaps the queen and her attendant frogs, having tasted the sweetness of power, are now searching the bottom of the pond every day for the crown. And perhaps some other frog is wondering how to keep the pond peaceful. Watching the frogs...