Recommended Book by Korea Publication Culture Industry Promotion Agency for Lunar New Year Holiday② ‘A Wise Speaking Dictionary for Dealing with Rude Friends’

The Book Sharing Committee of the Korea Publication Culture Industry Promotion Agency (Director Kim Junhee) announced seven titles, including Raiders of the Alley (Smart Books), as ‘Recommended Books.’

The Book Sharing Committee is composed of experts from various fields and introduces books in seven categories?literature, humanities and arts, social sciences, natural sciences, practical/general, picture books and fairy tales, and youth?each month along with recommendations to expand publishing demand and promote reading culture.

The ‘Recommended Books for February’ include seven titles: Raiders of the Alley (Smart Books), A Wise Speaking Guide to Dealing with Rude Friends (Sakyejul), Religious Studies for Youth (Gino), The World Just Left (Hankyoreh Publishing), About Believing Humans (Heureum Publishing), What Is Prison? (Wings of Knowledge), and The World of Quantum (Haenamu).

A Wise Speaking Guide to Dealing with Rude Friends | Written by Kim Wona, Illustrated by Kim Sohee | Sakyejul | 288 pages | 16,000 KRW

School is a small world. Children learn, adapt, and build relationships as they grow in this unfamiliar world. However, adapting to this world is not easy. Children also find human relationships and social life challenging. Without social experience, it can be even harder than for adults. This book is a practical guide offering advice to help children wisely handle various situations they encounter in the new world of school.

The author, a children’s literature writer and elementary school teacher, draws on personal experience and long-term observation to select 62 situations children may face at school and provides specific advice on how to respond and what to say to others. Situations include when a friend insists only their opinion is right, when a friend does not participate properly in group activities, when a child wants to join friends’ conversations, when a friend borrows belongings but does not return them, and when friends whisper while glancing at the child?covering a wide range of school scenarios.

While this advice is not necessarily the only correct answer, it encourages readers to think about possible situations at school and consider how they would respond. Conversely, it prompts children to reflect from others’ perspectives?whether they themselves have insisted only their opinion is right, failed to participate properly in group activities, or taken friends’ belongings without returning them.

For parents, the book provides insight into situations their children may face at school and offers guidelines on how to guide them. It explains when children should resolve issues among themselves and when it is appropriate to seek help from the homeroom teacher. Especially nowadays, with most families having only one child and parents experiencing ‘elementary school parenting’ for the first time, many feel anxious and worried about whether their child is doing well at school. This book is ideal for parents and children to read together, discuss school life, and talk about any difficulties. Presented in a comic format, it allows children to read it easily and enjoyably without feeling burdened.

- Choi Hyunmi, Culture Department Head, Munhwa Ilbo

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.