STORYBOWL
Maker Introduction | The People Behind Story Bowl
Just as its name means 'a bowl that holds stories,' Story Bowl is a small publishing house that carefully layers and delivers Baek Heena's stories to readers with sincerity. To create more freely and share more closely, we work as a team with the author, gathering in a studio in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul. We contemplate how Baek Heena's unique sensibility, which shapes the core and texture of each story, can quietly permeate your daily life. We align our directions to ensure the original warmth and intention remain intact, and we meticulously refine each result to the very end. Story Bowl will continue to work with kindness and sincerity, hoping that our efforts will remain with readers for a long time.
Reason for Wadiz Funding: Why 'Story Bowl English Edition'?
Hello, this is the Story Bowl production team. This Baek Heena picture book English edition began with the desire to share Baek Heena's stories as a universal experience of empathy with readers around the world, beyond borders. Meeting readers both in Korea and abroad, we realized that Baek Heena's stories, beyond translation, have the potential to comfort and be enjoyed by anyone. At the same time, there were clear challenges. There were still places we could not reach, and we needed to faithfully convey the author's worldview and literary texture. That is why we chose to publish the 'official English edition' ourselves.
We did not want this to be just a book translated into English. We hoped that the moment you experience the story's emotion in English, it would become another literary experience. Sentences that flow naturally when read aloud, a handy format easy for children to carry, a weight that allows you to open it with one hand at your bedside, the charm of an art book that even adults would want to own, and even an 'audio experience' that draws you deeper into the story while easing the burden of reading—we didn't want to miss a single thing. That is why the process was slow. Over time, the translation, design, and composition were revised countless times, and we made many choices without clear answers. Now, we want to complete the final step of delivering Baek Heena's picture books—books you will want to keep close from childhood to adulthood—together with our supporters.
We wanted to deliver Baek Heena's world in the most complete way possible.
Story Bowl believes that a good picture book is the first art a child encounters and a lifelong friend that quietly comforts you every time you open it as an adult. We hope that the stories contained in this warm bowl crafted by Baek Heena will stay with you for a long time and become a small comfort you revisit from time to time. We will not lose this spirit and will continue to complete each book with honesty. Thank you.