VOL.72/2024.07

 

Top 10 World Bestseller of Picture Books:
Publisher BookGoodCome

 

2024.07.01

 

BookGoodCome is a publishing house established in 2009 by a couple – writer Lee Rury and translator Lee Soon-Young. It enters its 15th year on July 4 this year. For the past 15 years, the publishing house has published about 330 titles, and 150 of them are creative books it planned. BookGoodCome has been participating in a number of international book fairs every year since 2011, and has signed approximately 100 export contracts up to date. So, let’s take a look at world bestsellers published by BookGoodCome!

 

* K-Book Trends Vol. 10 – Go to the interview with BookGoodCome

 

 

No. 1 is the Coda the Polar Bear series. Its first volume is Coda the Polar Bear: The First Story, Black Noses, written by Lee Rury and illustrated by Bae Woory. It was exported to 3 countries, including Türkiye. Following it, writer Lee worked on the Coda the Polar Bear series with Emanuele Bertossi, an Italian illustrator she met at Bologna. Published since then, Black Noses was exported to 8 countries, including France and Italy, Warm Breath to 7 countries, including China and Thailand, and I Will Always Be With You to 1 country, Taiwan. The Coda the Polar Bear series has signed a total of 19 export contracts as of today.

 

 

No. 2 is Tori’s Red Hair by writers Chae Jeong-Taek and illustrator Yoon Young-Cheol. It is a fantasy picture book that comically describes the story of a girl with strong, kinky hair. It was exported to 9 countries, including Italy and China.
No. 3 is A Monster is Coming! by writer-illustrator Shin Sung-Hee. It is also another comedy picture book featuring chaotic events surrounding the rumor that there is a monster in the peaceful forest. It is truly a masterpiece, guaranteeing both fun and meaningfulness. It was exported to 7 countries, including France and China.
No. 4 is a tie between 2 titles. First is writer-illustrator Moon Jina’s Looking for the Land of Silence, which is a story of a sibling embarking on an adventure after their dad’s funeral, in search of “the land of silence” where he is said to live in the afterlife. Beautifully delivering the message that loved ones are always in our memories, the book was exported to 5 countries, including France and Taiwan. The next one is Dong-dong and the Wonder Mouth series by writer-illustrator Joh Seung-Hye, now up to its third volume. It is a comedy series in which Dong-dong is all talk and no action, until one day, his mouth falls off, and he follows what it says. The first volume landed 3 export contracts, the second 2, 5 in total.

 

 

No. 6 is My Fuzzy Friend by writer-illustrator Takahashi Nozomi. It is a touching story, comical at the same time, about a girl and her favorite sweater. It was exported to 4 regions, including Hong Kong and Taiwan.
No. 7 has 3 titles. The first is Sam The Teacher Who Is Always Late, written by Lee Rury and illustrated by João Vaz de Carvalho. As a parody of the picture book John Patrick Norman McHennessy: The Boy Who Was Always Late by John Burningham, it has been widely loved as much as the original title. It was published in Italy, Denmark, and Brazil. Next, Where is Your House? by writer-illustrator Kim Seong-Eun is a thriller comedy that connects the story of a young alligator trying to find a lost bird in its home with cooking. It was exported to Denmark, Thailand, and Vietnam. The last is A Misty Morning Walk with Mother by writer Lee Soon-Won and illustrator Song Eun-Sil. It is a touching story about a mother shaking off the dew on the way to school for her child who doesn’t want to go.

 

 

No. 10 has a whopping 9 titles. The first one is Whale Rock, written by Lee Soon-Won and illustrated by Yoo Ja. It is a children’s book that touchingly describes the story of a whale rock on the top of a mountain going to the sea to meet a real whale, achieving its dream. Its literary quality is as great as The Little Prince by Saint-Exupéry. It was exported to Germany and Vietnam. The second one is Please Pick up My Ball by Cha Yada. It is a new interpretation of Aesop’s fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, covering the old and new generations; it features the story of a fast, young hare and a wise, old tortoise. It was exported to China and Taiwan. The third one is Rolling and Rolling by Lee Seung-Bum. Featuring the story of an ant’s poo rolling over and over to become huge, the title has won the Sangsangmanbal Picture Book Contest. It was exported to China and Brazil. The fourth one is Riding the Bus by Myself by Nam Kang-Han. It is a comedy thriller about the adventure of a little pig that goes on a bus for the first time. It was exported to China and Taiwan. The fifth one is Squirrel’s Cloud by Joh Seung-Hye, about a squirrel that always has a cloud following it. It beautifully depicts the process of healing depressive feelings and loneliness with friendship. It was exported to China and Thailand. The sixth one is Moon Rabbit by Choi Young-Ah. It is an excellent work that blends the process of a rabbit moving to the Moon with Korea’s outstanding play culture. It was exported to France and Spain. The seventh one is Dancing With Santa by Lee Yeon-Joo, which features the secret behind Santa’s immortal life through a touching story. It was exported to Taiwan and Denmark. The eighth one is Strawberry Berry Pop Pop by Ha Sun-Jung. It is a picture book about a magic potion that shows swallowed food as farts - the main character uses the potion to find out who sneakily ate the birthday cake. It was published in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The ninth and the last is Cracks by Lee Seou. It humorously describes the story of a penguin who abruptly got to go on a trip around the world on an iceberg one day. It was exported to the US and Greece.

 

 

Aside from the books mentioned above, picture books such as The Secrets of Egg No. 4; Teddy, Are You Alright?; Flowers Will Bloom; One Snowy Day; Acorn Hat; Pig Wish; Seeing Double; The Witch's Restaurant; Red Kangaroo; Imagine Colors!; Daddy’s Day Off; Where’s My Nose?; When Mom Is Napping; A Perfect Day; Let’s Put on Rubber Boots!; Stripe Hair Salon; Lucy on the Roof; The Christmas Gift; Sniff, Sniff; Picking, Picking, have also begun to enjoy the glory of exporting copyrights to markets overseas.

 

 

BookGoodCome has so many titles that have yet to be exported that glitter like jewels and move people’s hearts like food for the soul. There’s a reason why the publishing house is able to discover such various writers and works and publish them. The first is because it cultivates writers through various workshops such as the “Lee Rury Bologna Workshop.” The second is because writer Lee Rury has been participating in the Seoul Wow Book Festival and the Sangsangmanbal Picture Book Contest as a judge for 10 years, leading to the publishing of many of the winning works. The third is because so many picture book writers, at home and abroad, submit their works to BookGoodCome. Thanks to all the readers and writers who send love to BookGoodCome. The publishing house has been praised as the powerhouse of picture books for a long time, and it was shortlisted for the Best Children’s Publisher of the Year at the 2024 Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
BookGoodCome’s chief editor, Lee Rury, and CEO, Lee Soon-Young, launched a new publishing brand called “Yrurybooks” in January 2023. Now, a total of 24 creative titles are published each year – 12 by BookGoodCome and 12 by Yrurybooks. I ask for your continued love and support for the books published by the two, that aim to capture joy, emotion, and beauty. BookGoodCome and Yrurybooks will continue to contribute to making a peaceful world with beautiful, entertaining books.

 

 

---

Written by Lee Rury (Author; Professor of Creative Writing, Sejong Cyber University; Chief Editor of Bookgoodcome; CEO of Yrurybooks)