Go, Jung-soon. Okchundang Candy. Jung-soon Go, Illus. Translated from the Korean by Aerin Park. Levine Querido, 03/2025. 128pp. Graphic. Trade $21.99. 978-1-6461-4514-0. GRADES 10–Adult. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
This is Jung-soon’s love letter to her grandparents, recounting her sweet memories of visits to her grandparents’ house, “filled with summer lingering.” Okchundang candy is a traditional Korean candy given to children after honoring their ancestors. She observes the love between her grandparents in sharp contrast to her parents, who always fought. The pencil and watercolor illustrations are mature yet look like a sketchbook, giving it a free-form feel to match Jung-soon’s feelings. Color is used sparsely throughout. This book is the same size as a standard picture book, but it is a graphic novel, which, along with the maturity of the story, makes it unclear as to what age group it is for. This book is intended for ages ten to fourteen, yet it feels too mature in its illustration style and narrative to appeal to this age range. It would appeal more to adult readers with aging parents.
Alva Fong—San José State University, iSchool Student