Author: Mariam Karim Ahlawat
Cathy Spagnoli/
Painter/Illustrator/Animator: Jo Hye-Mi/ Proiti
Publisher: Tulika
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 44
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8181464494
Description
PART – I
When he takes his sheep and goats to graze in the mountains, Gulla is always careful – of bears and leopards, the terrible Banbudhiya, and also of the men with guns. But one day he sees a little hangul being chased by wild dogs and he forgets to be careful. In rushing to save the deer, Gulla goes deeper and deeper into the forest.
This story from Kashmir, where the hangul is a protected animal, carries the many shades and tones of the region-the quite life of the villagers in the valley, their close link with nature, as well as the underlying disquiet that they learn to live with. The illustrations evoke the rugged, rocky and less familiar part of the beautiful state with a soft charm.
PART - II
The tiger, a popular character in Korean art and folktales, is a villain in this origin tale. Having gobbled up the rice cake seller and all her rice cakes, the tiger chases her two small children. But they escape. And the tiger? Although in the traditional ending the tiger too dies, in the story what happens to the tiger is…AI-KOO! Word birds explain the meaning of that and other Korean words and expressions. The bold, colourful illustrations draw inspiration from the simple drama of the story cards of kamishibai, Japanese paper theatre.