A gentle story for children learning to say goodbye
A mysterious old man appears before Kyeoul, who’s afraid to go home and face saying goodbye to his beloved dog, Ttaegul. The old man, who looks just like Ttaegul, tells him the story of a snowman and a squirrel who became friends one winter day. To help children hear the “unheard feelings” and express the “unspoken words” that come with such a farewell, the author uses a frame story in which the thoughts of Ttaegul are delivered to Kyeoul through the voice of a mysterious old man. The tale of the “Squirrel and the Snowman,” told by the old man, gently leads Kyeoul to face what he had been too afraid to see — guiding him toward a quiet realization of something truly important.