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Korea’s demilitarized zone has become an amazing accidental nature preserve that gives hope for a brighter future for a divided land.
Batchelder Honor Winner, 2020 ALA Youth Media Awards
Honorable Mention, 2019 Freeman Awards (National Consortium for Teaching about Asia)
This unique picture book invites young readers into the natural beauty of the DMZ, where salmon, spotted seals, and mountain goats freely follow the seasons and raise their families in this 2.5-mile-wide, 150-mile-long corridor where no human may tread. But the vivid seasonal flora and fauna are framed by ever-present rusty razor wire, warning signs, and locked gates – and regularly interrupted by military exercises that continue decades after a 1953 ceasefire in the Korean War established the DMZ.
Creator Uk-Bae Lee’s lively paintings juxtapose these realities, planting in children the dream of a peaceful world without war and barriers, where separated families meet again and live together happily in harmony with their environment. Lee shows the DMZ through the eyes of a grandfather who returns each year to look out over his beloved former lands, waiting for the day when he can return. In a surprise foldout panorama at the end of the book the grandfather, tired of waiting, dreams of taking his grandson by the hand, flinging back the locked gates, and walking again on the land he loves to find his long-lost friends.
When Spring Comes to the DMZ helps introduce children to the unfinished history of the Korean Peninsula playing out on the nightly news, and may well spark discussions about other walls, from Texas to Gaza.
This picture book is beautifully illustrated and simply but movingly written. The DMZ, or demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, has become an unexpected sort of wildlife refuge, since it is virtually impassable to humans, kept out by their own gates, bars, and wire. The animals are at peace. The humans only long to be. The book splits its small narrative between the animal activities throughout the year, and the comings and goings of “Grandfather,” who approaches the border every now and then in contemplation of where he came from. It is a simple, heartfelt way of illustrating the situation to young people without being grim or bogged down in news. I enjoyed the emphasis on nature, and the basic similarity of people no matter where they live.
Prior to reading this, I think if I'd imagined the DMZ it would have been as a scar running between two opposing landscapes. Uk-Bae Lee does a really wonderful job of illuminating the reality of this famous strip of land; its accidental beauty as a decades old wildlife refuge, its current role as a division between two parts of one land, and its hopeful future as a preserve within one nation. A lovely introduction for young people to some very important world events.
How do you broach the subject of old military actions and the divisions between countries and politics with kids? The author of this book has chosen to use animals living peacefully and contrast it with the activities of soldiers going through practice maneuvers in this book, and the way the division is breaking one old man’s heart. In the back of the book are more details about how the DMZ in Korea came to be, why many animals thrive in this space now, and what people who seek reunification of the Koreas desire. I know of absolutely no other books for younger kids that dare to tackle the topic of Korean division and reunification. This book is a tactful look at the ways that war can tear people apart and the ways that peace can bring life.
I served as a soldier in the Korean DMZ in 1968 and 1969. I have seen the rusting train engine and many of the animals which are drawn in this beautiful book. The story in the book is up lifting and hope-filled. The paintings are beautiful, as is the actual DMZ. It is my prayer that preserving this beautiful DMZ will be a project that both North Korea and South Korea can work together on and in so doing, can either reunite or at least live together as good neighbors
As a former American soldier who served in the Korean DMZ in 1968 and 1969, and who had 6 members of my platoon shot in 4 separate firefights with the North Korean soldiers, resulting in 2 of my buddies dying during the summer of 1968, I especially appreciate the powerful message of this beautifully illustrated children's book...which has a wise message for adults, as well as children. I ordered copies for all my 8 grandchildren, and several of my army buddies.
An enchanting book that contrasts the wildlife that thrives in the demilitarized zone that divides North and South Korea with the military men who keep the two peoples apart. Lee’s softly tinted, detailed illustrations hail back to an earlier time, reminding me of Lois Lenski’s Strawberry Girl, Berta and Elmer Haders’s The Big Snow, or any of Marguerite de Angeli’s beautiful books.
When Spring comes to the DMZ is a beautiful but bittersweet story set in the 4 km-wide demilitarized zone between South Korea and North Korea… At the back of the book, there is an informative section explaining a bit of the history of the DMZ. This is a great book to start discussions about fences and how they keep people in just as much as they keep people out. I strongly recommend this one for readers of nearly all ages.
Wow. I'd have always thought that if a space could be used by wildlife or humans, the better choice would be for it being used by wildlife. But the DMZ is a rare case – a place that humans cannot go, for the worst reasons. So this accidental animal sanctuary – bursting with diverse life, as the lovely artwork here proves – ought perhaps to be forgotten about, torn down and returned to use by mankind. It's a very rare occasion when anyone would say that, but this is a rare occasion, and the issues of the whole thing are summarized so wonderfully... The impact of the ending – with a whopping eight-page fold-out spread to encompass everything – is going to last. I've given books for this age range five stars for nailing an obvious moral – this has a non-obvious moral, and I'll leave it at that. Just wow.
Vegetation and animals can do whatever they want at the border’s no-man’s-land, but not people. A grandfather is a unifying figure in the story, as he climbs to the observatory to take in the view… The reader is led to believe he’s looking at the landscape and all the animals described, but of course it’s so much more than that. Despite the small article in the back, a parent should be prepared to explain to the young reader why grandfather can’t go over there. Best part of this is the artwork, done in the beautiful style of this part of the world.
As the seasons change at the DMZ, different animals come and go. The narrator and their grandpa observe it from the DMZ line, and while the nature is beautiful, the border between humans is devastating to many. This book gave me a lot to think about, and I learned a piece of Korean history I hadn't known before. An important book that shows a bit of beauty and an overall hope for peace, that one day people can roam freely like the animals that inhabit the DMZ.
After living in South Korea for a decade, I’m often surprised by how little people know about the country. This children’s book illustrates a feature of the DMZ that most likely hadn’t heard of – it’s a haven for wildlife. My daughters enjoyed the illustrations, which are gorgeous, and while they are a bit young to comprehend the Korean War and the division of the country, they seemed very interested in the story of Grandfather missing his home. This is one to buy a paper copy of, for sure.
This book is so incredibly moving, that I had to read it twice. Uk-Bae Lee has crafted a picture book that is nuanced, illuminating and beautiful. I can't wait to share this work with others; the author truly has a gift of telling a story while shedding light on many important ideas without making the ideas seem preachy to its readers. It is darn near perfect.
When Spring Comes to the DMZ is a simple book that holds intense levels of emotion. I read this book nine times, continually gaining a better appreciation for those who have experienced the loss of a country. The pencil drawings throughout this book are colorful, detailed, and fragile. Mother Nature continues to breath life into the passing seasons totally unaware of the wire fence that divides North and South Korea. Rain or shine Grandfather faithfully climbs the expansive stairs leading to the DMZ observatory with his grandson to breathe in the beauty of the northern sky. It goes unsaid yet understood that Grandfather shares his life experiences with his grandson. Daily they bear witnesses to wildlife returning season after season to hatch their young, completely un-phased by the material division of the two areas. Soldiers from North and South Korea have daily routines, have families, gaze upon the same moon, yet their military ambitions divide them. The author beautifully portrays the stark presence of the military, which taints the reader's emotions with a cloud of sadness, and the realization that the beauty and freedom of this prior way of life has been lost. The story draws to a close when Grandfather no longer wants to climb the expanse of steps to view the locked gates, barricades and stop signs. Instead he wants to walk out into the green meadows and lie in the sunny grass looking up at the blue sky of his beloved home country.
Uk-Bae Lee is both the author and the artist of this book. His depiction of the animals of the DMZ is striking – it draws you in and makes you wish you were there to see them for yourself. Little is said of history and sociology but the book is quite adept at arousing your sympathy for the Koreans who have suffered from the Korean War and its aftermath. Because of the special focus on Korea in the news, this is an appropriate time to publish this book. And, because of the simple language in which it is written it is suitable for children as well as adults… I highly recommend this book.
