-Stories of mom and dad in their first year of elementary school

 What were the parents like in their first year of school? Let’s find out.

 

<<I Do Things That I Don’t Want to Do>> is a collection of short stories about two children in their first year of elementary school, Jung-ah Oh and Minho Gang. They are the parents of Eunchae, the hero of <<I’m Sure My Teacher Hates Me>.

The two books come as a pair, but do not have to be read in chronological order. Either way, the parents will see their own childhood through their children’s experience, and the children will find comfort in learning that their parents were once young and naïve just like them.

The illustrations aptly aid in demonstrating the passage of time. There are many visual details that bind the two books together, through which the readers of different generations can find various points of conversation.

 

<My Friend Is Sick>

Hyemi has a severe stomachache, but the teacher is not in the classroom. Minho decides to take this chance to become a hero. He is a future fire fighter, so he knows best what to do in an emergency.

 

<I Do Things That I Don’t Want to Do>

Jung-ah sees a large crowd around the school gate. The students have gathered around a hamster seller. Jung-ah understands that animals should not be bought or sold, and she has made a promise with her mom to never bring home an animal again. Jung-ah assures herself she will never make the same mistake again. However, in the next moment, Jung-ah finds herself heading home with a hamster in her hands.

 

<I’m Going to Marry My Teacher>

Minho has set his mind to marry his teacher one day. His classmates poke fun at him, but nothing can get in the way of his love. However, when he discovers that the teacher already has a boyfriend, Minho’s hopes are shattered. On Teacher’s Day, Minho takes his mom’s fancy purse. He gifts it to his beloved teacher, with a love note inside.

 

<Days Ahead>

Jung-ah thought summer vacation was going to be easy, but the homework of keeping a daily journal is getting in her way. She has many days to catch up on. Jung-ah makes up stories for the days she had missed, but once she is finally up to date, she has a strange urge to keep going. It is fun to write journals after all, when she can fill her stories with making a snowman and swimming under the ocean.

In her journals for the future days, she invites a very special guest to her visit to Grandma’s.