The Tigers of the Kumgang Mountains: A Korean Folktale [Hardcover]

Kim So-Un (Author), Jeong Kyoung-Sim (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

The Tiger of Kumgang Mountainis based on a well-known Korean folktale. Long ago, an enormous white tiger lived in the Kumgang Mountains and tormented the nearby village for years, coming down to prey not only on horses and cattle, but on the people who lived there. The finest hunter in the land ventured into the Kumgang Mountains to shoot the white tiger and save the village. He never returned.
In this exciting adventure, the hunter's son seeks revenge for his father's death. The young man has to complete impossible challenges, including escaping from the belly of the tiger, before learning a valuable lesson.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kim So-Un was an eminent Korean storyteller and a specialist in Korean folklore. He authored dozens of books during his lifetime, including Korean Children’s Favorite Stories and The Deer and the Woodcutter.

Jeong Kyoung-Sim is a graduate of the College of Fine Arts at Seoul National University. She has illustrated Korean Children’s Favorite Stories and The Deer and the Woodcutter.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (January 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804836531
• ISBN-13: 978-0804836531
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,213,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT a Children's Book, August 20, 2009

By 

J. Grambo "Teacher" (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tigers of the Kumgang Mountains: A Korean Folktale (Hardcover)

Folktales carry cultural messages that reflect the acceptable behaviors of the time. Sometimes, as in this case, the stories do not translate as socially correct behavior hundreds of years later. Many times, the tales are retold in current days in a new or modified form to be appropriate for the times. The wolf no longer eats Red Riding Hood, for example.

In this case, I believe most parents would not want to read this picture book to their children. A hunter thinks that a priest is really a tiger dressed up (or transformed?) as a priest, so he shoots and kills the priest. For the same reason, the hunter shoots and kills an old woman, a young girl, and a young man. In each case, after the person is killed, the dead body turns into a tiger.

I understand the heritage of folklore, and would find this tale -- which has an interesting ending -- entertaining in an adult study of Asian legends, but I don't recommend it in the form of a children's picture book.

4.0 out of 5 stars A delightful tale, July 24, 2010

By 

Louise - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tigers of the Kumgang Mountains: A Korean Folktale (Hardcover)

A delightful tale of persistence, sacrifice, and things are not always what they seem. Beautifully illustrated and presented.