The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon
A Korean Folktale of a Tiger, a Thief, and a Very Scary Sweet
On a cold winter night, the biggest, hungriest tiger in the mountains creeps into a sleepy village — and hears a mother hush her crying baby with one little word: gotgam! The baby stops crying at ONCE. "What is a gotgam?" the tiger trembles. "It must be the scariest beast in all of Korea!" Then a sneaky ox thief climbs onto the tiger's back in the dark, and the wildest, funniest ride in Korean folklore begins. A beloved Korean folktale about fear, mix-ups, and one very sweet surprise — perfect for reading aloud, again and again.
About this book
The biggest, hungriest tiger in the mountains has never been afraid of anything — until tonight. Creeping into a snowy village, he hears a mother hush her crying baby: "A tiger is coming!" The baby keeps crying. But one little word — gotgam! — and the crying stops at ONCE.
The tiger goes pale under his stripes. What is a gotgam? It must be the most terrible monster in all of Korea! He doesn't know it's just a sweet dried persimmon... and when a sneaky ox thief climbs onto his back in the dark barn, the wildest, funniest ride in Korean folklore begins.
- Read-aloud English — a barn that's "dark, dark, dark" to chant along, a THUMP! to shout, and the playful cry of "The gotgam has GOT me!"
- Rich illustrations in a warm painterly style with the bold spirit of Korean minhwa folk art — starring the silliest, most lovable tiger in the mountains
- A gentle window into Korea — an "About This Story" note on how families dry persimmons under the eaves in winter, and why the tiger is the great star of Korean tales
- Perfect for ages 4–8 — big laughs, zero real danger: every "monster" turns out to be a misunderstanding, and the ending is pure warmth
A wonderful gift for giggly bedtimes, multicultural classrooms, and every child who is a little scared of the dark.
Book 7 of Seori Tales — Korean Folktales for Children.
Details
- Series
- Seori Tales — Korean Folktales for Children, Book 7
- Original tale
- 호랑이와 곶감
- Reading age
- 4-8 (Preschool - Grade 3)
- Paperback pages
- 24, full colour
- Publisher
- Seori Books
- Paperback ISBN-13
- 9798165776960
Inside the book
Korean Words in This Story
- Gotgam — a dried persimmon, Korea's favorite winter sweet: soft, chewy, and dusted with its own white sugar.
- Gam — a persimmon, the bright-orange autumn fruit that becomes gotgam when dried.
- Horangi — the Korean word for tiger, the biggest star of Korean folktales.
- Chogajip — a small house with a roof made of thatched straw.
- Saekdong — the happy rainbow stripes on the sleeves of a Korean child's jacket.
- Maru — the wooden porch of a Korean house, warm and sunny in the morning.
- Say them out loud together!
