Okchundang Candy

Name: Okchundang Candy
Brand: Recorded Books
Availability: InStock
Author: Jung-soon Go
ISBN: 9798896793557

Author: Jung-soon Go, Aerin Park

Narrator: Sarah Chang

Unabridged: 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 06/10/2025

Categories: Children's Fiction, Children's Graphic Novels, Children's Social Themes, Regional Stories

Synopsis

I still remember that house filled with summer … Growing up, Jung-soon spent every moment she could at her grandparents' house. Dressing up and watching cartoons. Dyeing each other's fingernails with crushed balsam petals. Getting the whole neighborhood together to sweep their streets. Falling asleep together … just the three of them, happy. Grandfather was Grandmother's best and only friend. On every Jesa day, during the ancestral ritual, he would gently place the okchundang candy in her mouth, a big smile spreading across her face as it melted on her tongue. But nothing ever stays the same, and as Jung-soon got older, so did her grandparents. She presents an achingly beautiful novel about the little joys and sharp sorrows that make up a life together as a family. ★ “This sweet, poignant tale deserves to be appreciated by all audiences, particularly adults with aging parents. Queue the (cathartic) ugly tears, though, and prepare with plenty of tissues. Heartbreakingly glorious … stupendously affecting.”—Booklist (starred)

Reviews

Goodreads review by Rachael on January 10, 2025

CW: war (mentioned), death of parents (mentioned), cancer, terminal illness, death of grandparents, grief, Alzheimer's, excrement I would like to thank Edelweiss and Levine Querido for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. Emotionally beautiful, Okchun......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on April 16, 2025

I've really enjoyed reading translated children's books, as they are so interesting and different than what you might typically expect from a picture book. Take Okchundang Candy, for example. It's cataloged in my library system as a YA graphic novel, but that doesn't seem quite right. The illustrati......more

Goodreads review by Elena on March 12, 2025

OKCHUNDANG CANDY by Jung-soon Go (tr. Aerin Park) is a love letter to all grandmas and grandpas. Inspired by the author's own experiences, I found the most heartwarming the intimate dynamics between grandpa and grandma, their companionship something that deeply touched me. Jung-soon spent every mome......more

Goodreads review by Alicia on April 04, 2025

The rough sketching of this graphic novel biography isn't what many young readers would be used to so it might not be as well received as others in the category, however the messaging of the story is one that is endearing as a kid watches his grandparents age. As her grandfather gets ill and passes......more

Goodreads review by Dolores on March 19, 2025

Achingly sweet and sad.......more