Heungbu and Nolbu
A Korean Folktale of Two Brothers, a Grateful Swallow, and the Magic Gourds
Kind Heungbu has nothing at all — nothing but a tiny hut, a houseful of hungry children, and a heart as warm as spring. So when a baby swallow falls from its nest, of course he mends its little leg with a bit of red silk thread. Next spring the grateful swallow brings back one small, shining seed... and soon Heungbu's roof is full of magic gourds — while his greedy big brother Nolbu is about to learn a noisy lesson from the goblins. A warm, funny retelling of one of Korea's best-loved folktales, sung with swallows, sawing songs, and the sweetest treasure of all: sharing.
About this book
Kind Heungbu has nothing at all — nothing but a tiny hut, a houseful of hungry children, and a heart as warm as spring. So when a baby swallow falls from its nest, of course he mends its little leg with a bit of red silk thread.
Next spring the grateful swallow returns with one small, shining seed... and soon Heungbu's roof is full of giant magic gourds — gourds that pour out rice like a waterfall! But when his greedy big brother Nolbu hurts a swallow on purpose to get a seed of his own, what bursts out of HIS gourds is a wild, stamping crowd of Korean goblins — with a noisy lesson to deliver.
- Read-aloud English — swallow-song, sawing songs, and gleeful goblin chaos, written to sound lovely out loud
- Rich illustrations in a painterly style with the bold charm of Korean minhwa folk art
- A gentle window into Korea — an “About This Story” note on pansori story-singing, lucky swallows, gourd bowls, and the mischievous tokkaebi
- Perfect for ages 4–8 — bedtime, story time, or a quiet afternoon together
A warm, funny tale of kindness rewarded, greed undone, and a brother forgiven — a wonderful gift for curious kids, multicultural classrooms, and families who love stories from around the world.
Book 3 of Seori Tales — Korean Folktales for Children.
Details
- Series
- Seori Tales — Korean Folktales for Children, Book 3
- Original tale
- 흥부와 놀부
- Reading age
- 4-8 (Preschool - Grade 3)
- Pages
- 24, full colour
- Publisher
- Seori Books
Inside the book
Korean Words in This Story
- Jebi — the swallow, a lucky guest under a Korean roof.
- Jiji-baebae — the sound Korean swallows make: jee-jee-bay-bay!
- Bak — the giant gourd that grows on thatched roofs.
- Bagaji — a bowl or dipper made from a dried gourd.
- Tokkaebi — Korea's wild, playful goblins. They cannot stand a cheater!
- Pansori — Korea's traditional sung storytelling.
- Say them out loud together!
