Description A boy lived alone with his widowed mother. Though he was a bit simple-minded, he always listened carefully to what his mother told him. One day, he went to a neighboring village to work and earned some money, but he left it by the well and came home without it. His mother scolded him, telling him he should have put it in his pocket. Being an obedient boy, the next time his employer paid him with a puppy and a fish, he remembered his mother's words—trying to stuff the puppy into his pocket and tying the fish with string to carry it home. Then one day, he was paid with a donkey. Remembering his mother's advice once again, he wrapped the donkey in paper and struggled to tie its body with straw rope before heading home. What will happen to this simple, pure-hearted boy who always takes his mother's words to heart? Author Seo Jung-o's lively, rhythmic storytelling brings the tale to life as vividly as if it were being told right beside you, beautifully capturing the essence of oral folk literature passed down from generation to generation. Written by: Seo Jung-o Recent works: Confessions of Fire, The Toto Korean Culture School Series Set (10 volumes + reading quiz book), Fist... and over 103 titles in total. About the Author: Born in Andong, Seo Jung-o grew up listening to countless folktales from family members and neighborhood elders. He taught elementary school children for many years and now devotes himself full-time to writing, working to retell and share Korea's traditional stories. His original children's story collections include Let's Go, Rooster!, and his folktale collections include One Hundred Korean Folktales We Should Really Know, Volumes 1 and 2, Korean Myths We Should Really Know, Laughing Folktales, and Children's Samguk Yusa, Volumes 1 and 2. An Attitude of Doing One's Best Folktales carry down the virtues and wisdom of our ancestors' lives, intact through generations. Take a close look at the boy in The Donkey Wrapped in Paper. His cheerful, positive attitude—never lazy, always working hard and happily in the neighboring village—is conveyed with real warmth. Though he's sometimes scolded by his mother, watching this pure-hearted boy listen so attentively and faithfully to her words makes you hope that good fortune will someday come his way. And indeed, that fortune finds him. A Delightful Bundle of Stories from Master Storyteller Seo Jung-o Because folktales have been passed down orally from mouth to mouth over a long span of time, they are also a literature meant to be heard. The lively, rhythmic prose of Seo Jung-o, a true master of Korean folktales, quickly draws children into the story—especially those experiencing folktales for the first time. As you read repeated words and phrases like teolle-teolle (trudging along), kkaeaeng-kkaeaeng (yelping), meolli-meolli (far, far away), and orae-orae (for a long, long time), you'll find yourself swept into a joyful, immersive journey through the world of traditional storytelling. Clever and Sensory Illustrations Witty, sensory illustrations perfectly match the humor of this classic tale, adding to the reading enjoyment. The boy's earnest efforts to bring home the puppy, the fish, and the donkey according to his mother's instructions are depicted with distinctive visual charm that's sure to bring a smile. In particular, the four-panel illustration capturing the magistrate's daughter's delighted laughter alongside the boy struggling to carry the donkey on his shoulders beautifully shows the continuity of motion—offering a fresh, modern take on the timeless pleasures of traditional Korean folktales.