THE RED FRUIT

Economically drawn and narrated, this translated work from Korea spotlights a bear cub’s naïveté and determination.

An italicized, scene-setting line of text appears against a page depicting snow, tall conifers, and the bear cub’s tracks: “Baby bear got up early, by himself.” “Tok”—a red fruit bounces off the hungry cub’s head. Finding the morsel delicious, the bear declares, “I want to eat more.” He begins to climb, successively encountering three red shapes that initially appear to be more tantalizing fruit but reveal themselves to be a caterpillar, a squirrel, and a beehive. As the cub climbs, the perspective shifts between close- and mid-range spreads and long views of his diminutive form amid the pine forest. At the very top, the bear sees “nothing.” But the setting sun’s red blaze tints the branches, catching his eye. “It looks delicious!” Leaping, he falls—first, backlit against the huge orb, then past beehive, squirrel, and caterpillar into the voluminous embrace of a parent, waiting with two other cubs and piles of red fruit. Rendered in inky, grainy gradations of gray-to-black, accented with red and yellow, Lee’s pictures capture the forest’s beauty, evoking traditional brush painting. The bears’ spreading pads and claws seem as significant as their physiognomy—which nonetheless quietly conveys sensations of curiosity, satiety, surprise, and (in the parent bear) implacable aplomb. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Beautifully transcends its seeming simplicity.