Description: One apple, yet a hundred apples—what could that possibly mean? By the time you finish this book, you'll understand that this apple isn't just a hundred apples, but could just as easily be two hundred, two thousand, or even twenty thousand apples. And going a step further, you'll come to realize that not just this apple, but everything in the world can take on different meanings depending on how it's seen. How does the author manage to explain such a seemingly abstract, philosophical idea in a way that speaks directly to children? When you open the book, a quiet neighborhood scene unfolds. There's an apartment building, a fruit shop next door, and another shop beside that. People are running, people are walking, and a tree stands quietly nearby. In this black-and-white landscape, only a single apple glows in vivid red. Turn the page, and the man who had been rushing by in the previous scene comes into close-up. As he hurries along and catches a glimpse of the apple, he's reminded of the apples he used to pack for picnics. Meanwhile, the apple, watching the busy man dash past, decides he must be an office worker. On the next page, farmers pause on their way and admire the apple, certain it must have grown in rich, fertile soil, while a painter is captivated by the apple's indescribable color. In this way, the left-hand pages show different people, each imagining something different as they look at the apple, while the right-hand pages show the apple imagining each person's occupation in turn. Through this simple structure and story, the book quietly conveys a philosophical truth: that every object can hold a different meaning for every person. Amid the black-and-white scenery, the apple's lone, vivid color is utterly endearing. Author: Inoue Masaji (井上 正治) About the Author: Born in 1939 in Hokkaido. After leaving Tokyo Design School, he has illustrated magazines, picture books, and other publications. His works include Everyone's Hungry, Dad, The Boy, and A Hundred Years in a Northern Village. Translator: Jung Mi-young Recent Works: 7 titles including this one About the Translator: A graduate of the Department of Japanese at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, she currently works in publishing, editing, and translation. Her translated works include The Secrets of World Maps, One Apple, Yet a Hundred Apples, Grandmother's Soup, Friend, My Friend Munggu, and The Story of Hoegwicheon.