THE GOBLIN TWINS

Two trickster Korean goblins—or dokkaebi—struggle to adjust to life in New York City.

Siblings Doki and Kebi are “settling into their new old house” after moving to the United States, as depicted in The Goblin Twins (2023). Orange-skinned, purple-haired Doki tries to enjoy a book, but blue-skinned, double-horned Kebi is perturbed because he has no friends in their new city. A hilarious sequence depicts Kebi’s unsuccessful attempts to connect with other ghoulish creatures, among them vampires and a Wednesday Addams–esque child. “Why don’t you go play some tricks on humans?” Doki suggests. Kebi confesses that it’s especially difficult to provoke the residents of their new city. Boldly colored and textured illustrations dotted with ghosts—unseen by humans—portray Kebi’s failed efforts to scare jaded New Yorkers. His oversize head and tiny body imbue his shenanigans with charm. He mixes up the trains in the subway, breaks traffic lights, and fills the streets with frightening “dokkaebi smoke,” but the city’s residents remain unfazed. Curious, Doki joins in and ups the ante by floating the sphere off the Atlas statue at Rockefeller Center, making tables levitate in restaurants, and shrinking the Statue of Library—still nothing. But eventually the two realize that all they need is each other. Cha and Kim infuse their tale with both child-friendly chaos and a touch of sweetness. Human characters are racially diverse.

An amusing tale of sibling love and mischief.