The Mosquito and the Lion

Abstract

I first saw a wall-full of this series at Kyobo Book in Seoul in July, '04. I bought one copy, came home, and worked to order the full set of thirty booklets, workbooks, and audio cassettes from the publisher. Each set cost 9,800 Won. I have divided that cost among the book (6800 Won), booklet (1000 Won), and cassette (2000 Won). The colored booklet features twenty-eight thick, sturdy pages and excellent color reproduction. The art is cartoon-like, simple, and direct. This version follows the traditional story with one major addition. The mosquito, after attacking the lion without effect, gathers a whole swarm of mosquitoes, and the common attack is effective in making the lion give up. The visual artistry here is good. One strength is the portrayal of the mosquito as an orbit with eyes. That is as much as the lion perceives, or as we usually perceive, of a pesky mosquito. The animated facial expressions of both characters are strong, as when they face each other on 16. This confrontation is repeated on the title-page. Always be humble.