The Bear's Whisper

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. What a great title for this story! This version has Bob repeatedly reassuring his anxious friend John that he will protect him. John is tired and has taken off his shoes to rest his feet. The bear, who sees these two men as lunch and dinner, is surprised when John -- who of course now cannot run as fast as Bob -- suddenly appears dead. To be on the safe side, the bear passes him up. Bob explains that he was going to help, but then the bear went away. When John quotes the bear to Bob, he also acts on the bear's advice and leaves the friend who ran away by himself. A friend in need is a friend indeed.