The Fairy and the Woodcutter
A Korean Folktale of a Winged Robe, a Grateful Deer, and the Well of the Sky
High in the Diamond Mountains lives a kind young woodcutter with one bowl, one spoon, and one quiet heart. Then one full-moon night, seven sky fairies fly down to play in a hidden pond — and when the youngest cannot fly home, his lonely wish comes true... though hiding what is not yours never stays hidden forever. A tender, magical retelling of one of Korea's best-loved folktales — a story of a winged robe, a grateful golden deer, a silver bucket on a rope of moonlight, and the bravest kind of love: the kind that lets go.
About this book
High in the Diamond Mountains of Korea lives a kind young woodcutter with one bowl, one spoon, and one quiet heart. Then one full-moon night, seven sky fairies fly down to play in a hidden mountain pond — and the lonely woodcutter hides one shimmering winged robe, even though he knows, oh he knows, that hiding what is not yours is wrong.
The youngest fairy stays. Love grows, real and warm — two children, four bowls, a happy house. But the sky always calls its children home... and one moonlit night, the woodcutter must find the bravest kind of love: the kind that gives back what was never his. Then the sky itself sends down a great silver bucket on a rope of moonlight — because in the world's most beloved tales, what you set free with love always finds its way back.
- Read-aloud English — chantable refrains, a SPLASH to shout, and a moonlit ride to the sky, 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 sky fairies, the winged robe, the well of the sky, and how older tellings end
- Perfect for ages 4–8 — a Korean cousin of the world's swan-maiden tales, with a reunion ending that soothes at bedtime
A magical gift for curious kids, multicultural classrooms, and families who love stories from around the world — and a story that ends with a ritual your child can keep: next full moon, find the moon in the water, and look closely.
Book 4 of Seori Tales — Korean Folktales for Children.
Details
- Series
- Seori Tales — Korean Folktales for Children, Book 4
- Original tale
- 선녀와 나무꾼
- Reading age
- 4-8 (Preschool - Grade 3)
- Pages
- 24, full colour
- Publisher
- Seori Books
Inside the book
Korean Words in This Story
- Seonnyeo — a sky fairy, a heavenly maiden from the sky palace.
- Nalgae-ot — the winged robe that carries a fairy between sky and earth.
- Durebak — a bucket on a rope, for drawing water from a well.
- Jige — the wooden A-frame carrier a woodcutter wears on his back.
- Omma — Korean for “mom.”
- Geumgangsan — the Diamond Mountains, where this tale is set.
- Say them out loud together!
