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PHOTOS of Anne Sibley O'Brien

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COVER PHOTO of "The Legend of Hong Kil Dong"

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PRESS RELEASE - September, 2006
Word file (as zip archive) may be downloaded here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kirsten Cappy, (207) 699-2755

Adventure! Justice! Magic! These elements combine in a picture book about a Korean hero, entitled The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea (Charlesbridge 2006), written and illustrated by Anne Sibley O'Brien of Peaks Island, Maine. O'Brien is the illustrator of twenty-four previous picture books, including the Jamaica books by Juanita Havill (Houghton Mifflin) and the Talking Walls books by Margy Burns Knight (Tilbury House), as well as several others she also wrote.

Growing up in Korea as the daughter of medical missionaries, O'Brien heard many stories of Hong Kil Dong. The subject of a 17th century novel by Ho Kyun, the hero is portrayed in popular Korean books, comics, TV shows, movies, and animation. After finding an English translation of Ho Kyun's classic novel, O'Brien decided she wanted to tell the story for American children.

Using the Korean brush painting she studied at Korea's Ewha Women's University, O'Brien placed her illustrations within the narrative boxes of a graphic novel. Readers of graphic novels can 'read between frames' or fill in missing parts of the narrative and dialogue by using their own imagination. This format both allowed O'Brien to tell more of Hong Kil Dong's story and to leave aspects of the story open to the engrossing ambiguities of his magical life.

"The story was a rich source of material for me in many ways," says Anne Sibley O'Brien, "I was drawn to the poignant struggle of the boy who could not claim his father, to the theme of justice for the poor and to the opportunity to immerse myself in traditional Korean culture. It was exhilarating to design the book as a comic, a brand new format for me. Throughout the process, I felt as if the story and the form were not being controlled by me, but rather coming through me. I continue to be surprised and delighted by where this book takes me."

A website (KoreanRobinHood.com) has been created for young readers to continue their exploration of Hong Kil Dong's world.

REVIEWS:

"Elements of magic and martial arts mastery combine to produce a story with an unflagging pace." - Publishers Weekly

"This is a beautifully illustrated version of The Legend of Hong Kil Dong, who uses his magic and skills to assist the needy of Korea. A story of hard knocks, an unfair-fate-turned-around, will keep fans of such mesmerized." - Baker & Taylor

"The art, done in heavy black line and mostly pastel watercolors, will appeal to the comic-book crowd, but the story - with its magic, martial arts, and drama - will entice reluctant readers as well as adventure lovers." - School & Library Journal

MORE INFORMATION:

Images, interviews and more can be obtained by contacting:
Kirsten Cappy, Curious City, 207-699-2755,