In the Moonlight Mist: A Korean Tale

Traditional Tale

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
San Souci, Daniel. 1999. IN THE MOONLIGHT MIST: A KOREAN TALE. Ill. by Eujin Kim Neilan. Honesdale. PA: Boyds Mill Press, Inc. ISBN 1-56397-754-0

2. PLOT
Award winning author, Daniel Souci, chose to retell an ancient Korean tale for this picture book. In this story a poor but kind and thoughtful woodcutter is rewarded for saving a hunted deer, a friend of the Mountain Spirit. The woodcutter was granted a wish for his bravery and kind nature. He would find a bride and have the children he always wanted. There was one restriction. Since his wife was a heavenly maiden, he must wait until his second child was born before he returned the garments that he retrieved at the bewitching lake where he met his wife. They had a lovely life together and were blessed with a baby girl. Soon after the baby was born, the “sad-eyed” wife was homesick for heaven and desired only to touch her heavenly clothes once more. Her husband felt so sad seeing her grieve; he brought out the garments the deer warned him about. His wife put on the clothing and “spellbound” floated up to heaven with their baby in her arms. Heartbroken, the woodcutter met the grateful deer in the forest and the deer explained to him how he could join his family in heaven. Lovingly, he sent his ailing, feeble mother to join his beloved family instead of himself. He is again rewarded for his self-sacrifice when the heavenly king saw his unselfishness and sent a dragon horse to fly him to heaven to join his loved ones.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This ancient tale was new to me but quickly grew to be one of my favorites as I turned each page. Daniel San Souci tells the reader on the cover flap that this tale is a Korean favorite. The language and description in his book is enchanting. For example, “When the first trace of morning light swept across the lake, the blissful maidens swam back to shore.” This is a radiant example of “show, don’t tell.” He paints the perfect picture of a tender and inspiring, hard working and devoted main character in the woodcutter. He sacrifices his own happiness for the happiness of others. A wonderful message is retold by the author as many traditional tales do. The story also reminded the reader about respecting and protecting others weaker than ourselves This enthralling story kept me predicting and wondering what would happen next all the way to the last page. Even though the story has magical events, the book itself is magical.

The illustrations in this book, painted with acrylic paints by Eujin Kim Neilan, are a perfect match to the words chosen by San Souci. Souci’s text is spellbinding, yet simple. He uses lovely language, but does not go into long details. He doesn’t have to, because the illustrations tell the rest of the story. The brush strokes on the pages draw your eyes to the artwork. Here you see the beauty, tenderness, tone, and mood of the story on each page. The expressions on the characters ARE worth a thousand words. The hand gestures of the characters are particularly moving. The last page, showing the characters reunited along with the sentence, “Their joy gave the moon and stars a luster that caused no end to the wonder on the earth below,” offered a fulfilling “and they lived happily ever after” feeling.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist - "An evocative tale with a dulcet message."
School Library Journal –“Neilan’s paintings are wonderfully expressive and amplify the deep emotion of the situation. Her palette of yellows and browns shows people who are swathed in moonlight yet avoids the dimness that night scenes sometimes have.”
dulcet = pleasing to the ear; melodious.
Kirkus – “San Souci's retelling is captivating, but Neilan's vibrant use of line and emotional expressions furnish the enchantment.”
Publishers Weekly – “Neilan's images--of the enchanted woodland, the maiden's ascent to the heavens with her babe in arms and of the woodcutter astride a magnificent winged dragon en route to join them--evince a power readers will long remember.”
Horn Book - “The acrylic paintings extend the well-told text and add cultural details."
Daniel San Souci retells one of Korea's most beloved stories in shimmering prose that conjures new magic from this ancient tale. Eujin Kim Neilan, who researched the tale in Korea, sets the story at the time of the Chosun Dynasty. She captures that long-ago world in breathtaking illustrations. Together they have created a storybook treasure
1999 Parent Choice Award winner

5. CONNECTIONS
My six and seven year old grandchildren loved IN THE MOONLIGHT MIST: A KOREAN TALE. This story is perfect for children young and old. Bryn, our little artist, could not take her eyes off the brush strokes in the illustrations. She wants to write Neilan and ask how she “painted those beautiful pictures.” One reading was not enough. They wanted to hear the story a second time, and then a third before bedtime. Their mother, my daughter, is in heaven, and I asked them why they thought the woodcutter received a ride to heaven to be with his family. Jadyn answered, “Because the woodcutter was kind and thoughtful like Mommy.” Children make connections, too.

The theme of this story would be a good subject for a reading response. The children could brainstorm a time that someone sacrificed for them or they sacrificed for someone. They could discuss their feelings and how thoughtfulness and selflessness has its rewards.

Our textbook suggests as teachers we pre-teach a little about a country’s culture before reading a traditional tale from that setting. I think it would be interesting to tell them a little about the culture of Korea and the Chosun Dynasty. I admit I would learn new information about that part of the world and their history. One book reviewer suggested comparing this story to the famous tale told in China and Japan, THE COWHERD AND THE WEAVING MAID.