✔ Publisher : Munhakdongne

✔ Title : Long Long Night

✔ Author : Ruri

✔ Publication Date : February 3, 2021

✔ Length : 144 pages

✔ Specifications : 153×220*10

Book Introduction

✔ The last white rhino left in the world

✔ And a young penguin born in the rhino's embrace.

✔ At that time, we did not know it was a miracle that everything was different from head to toe and that we were all each other had.

『Long Long Night』 shows that our lives are intricately connected. Just as a strong elephant becomes a support for an elephant with weak legs, just as a wife helps her husband who struggles to live in nature, just as Wimbo always stood to the right of Chiku, who could not see out of his right eye, just as Angabu listened to and heard Noden's story over and over again, it shows a solidarity of small but great love. _Song Su-yeon (Child Literature Critic)

If you were to become the last rhino left in the world, what would it be like to bear the weight of being the ‘last remaining existence’ after losing all your loved ones? What would it feel like to head towards the sea you have never seen before, to fulfill a friend’s last request and find a safe place for a young life that rightly should exist?

This book tells the story of Noden, the last white rhino on Earth, and the young penguin born from an abandoned egg, as they together experience countless long nights while seeking the sea. On the rugged path, it is the will, love, and solidarity that helped them stand up again with messy feet and lit up the long, dark night that would not let them sleep, like “a star shining even in a dirty puddle.”

◼The overwhelming power of touching the heart

◼Having shared countless long nights, it was only natural to be called ‘we.’

A few years ago, the story of ‘Sudan, the last male northern white rhino on Earth,’ introduced in the news, made us reflect deeply. What kind of life did Sudan live until then? What was the moment that he fully savored with his weary eyes and what moments were taken away from him? What will we encounter as we trace back through time that we cannot know about Sudan?

The story that began with Sudan, 『Long Long Night』, received praise for its “overwhelming power of emotion,” “serious questions about the meaning of life and the solemnity of the process of pursuing it,” and for beautifully depicting the image of a rhino on the brink of extinction and a penguin that does not give up even in extreme situations.

The rhino Noden, raised in a herd of elephants, and the young penguin born in Noden's embrace. Noden, who must live on behalf of their loved ones, and the young penguin, who fights to live for itself. The journey of two beings, completely different from head to toe, becoming ‘we’ and forging ahead toward the blue horizon (the sea) through long nights will remain a force within me for a long time.

“Do you see the horizon over there? It shimmers green. This is my sea.”

“I like it here too. I want to stay here.”

“But you are a penguin. Penguins must go to the sea.”

“Then I'll live as a rhino. Look at my beak. It looks just like a rhino's.”

“You are already a wonderful rhino. So now all that's left is to become a wonderful penguin. Come here. I will hug you. And I will tell stories. All night long. You will search for the blue horizon, seeking the sea, meeting friends, and sharing our stories.” _From the text

◼“A small but great solidarity of love”

◼“I will be a white rhino next to Noden.”

In a world of elephants, if you can't see, lean on the elephant that can see; if your legs are weak, walk by leaning on the elephant with strong legs. In the elephant orphanage, Noden lived as a proper elephant. However, when the time came to choose his own future, Noden sets out for the outside world, with the encouragement of the elephants, to become another version of himself, a rhino.

“Just as we were glad to meet you, someone in the outside world will also feel glad to meet you.”

The outside world was happier than Noden's imagination, but it also burned with pain. From the elephant orphanage to the wilderness, from the wilderness to the zoo, and back out onto the streets, Noden had companions who shared the same scenery and raindrops, melting the long nights with their breaths. His wife, who called Noden “a strange but special rhino” as he struggled to live in the wild; Angabu, who taught him how to endure the long nights without nightmares; and Chiku, who helped him stand through the terrifying nights that he could not easily get used to. Because of them, Noden was able to gather strength, and the young penguin could grow up in love that was stronger than the eggshell that was once his whole world. Even if they couldn’t fully understand each other, even if they ended up in different places, the certainty that they are always together gives comfort to readers of this work.

Everything was a miracle. From Wimbo and Chiku nurturing the abandoned egg, to Wimbo protecting the egg with his whole body during the war, to Chiku meeting Noden and escaping from the zoo, to Chiku nurturing the egg until the last moment, and having Noden there in that last moment... All of it could only be described with the word miracle. _From the text

◼“Having become a wonderful rhino, now all that's left is to become a wonderful penguin.”

◼“A story that will be a support for the children walking through the dirty puddles shining with stars.”

The journey of Rhino Norden and the young penguin searching for the blue horizon is also a quest to find answers to questions like who I am and where my dignity comes from. Eating, sleeping, walking... amidst the harshness where nothing is easy, the young penguin's dignity endured because it was surrounded by the 'love' of Norden, who had shared everything with it, and the unknown Chikuwa and Wimbo that it had never seen before. Because they had crossed the long, long nights together, because the eyes of the rhino, sparkling like the stars, were etched into the young penguin's first memories, and because Norden was there to watch the young penguin's back as it walked away, we come to believe. We believe that the young penguin will bravely jump into its own sea, endure many more long nights, and find something that shines like the stars in the night sky.

The other force driving the fairy tale "Long Long Night," which embodies love, solidarity, and the dignity of life, is the encouragement towards children stepping from one world into another. It reassures that it's okay not to have a name to prove oneself or to not grow a nose, that even if you are imperfect and not grand, you are enough just as you are, and it comforts with the belief that countless miracles gathered to form the miracle that is 'me,' giving courage to face the sea before you.

“Will other penguins like me? Will they recognize me just like Norden does?”

“Of course. At first, they will probably observe you out of curiosity. But gradually, they will come to like you and keep an eye on you, they will notice what scent you have when you're close, and they will listen to the sound you make when you walk. That's exactly you.” _From the text

This work simply yet deeply shows the pain, fear, and joy of 'living as myself.' It tells the story of all the long nights faced by those who were directed toward me until I became who I am now, along with their tears, pains, solidarity, and love. As suggested in "Long Long Night," our lives might be in a filthy puddle. However, it also reminds us not to forget that there are shining stars within that filthy puddle. I believe this book will serve as a small support for the children who are walking through the "dirty puddle with shining stars" even today._Song Su-yeon (Children's Literature Critic)

◼Subtle tremors turning into great waves.

◼The embrace of the heartwarming illustrations by artist Ruri

The dramatic power created where pictures and sentences connect is intense. The angles changing boldly and the emotions deeply penetrating the scenes lend appeal to the story, increasing immersion. The illustrations leading to the epilogue contain meanings that capture the scenery which stopped the feet of rhino Norden, the path he walked with his loved ones, and that even if someone’s time stops, it doesn't mean that they disappear entirely; another life and path continue. The fleeting beauty of nature and the life force emanating even from ground swept by fire resonates deeply.

May our long long nights not be lonely. Even if what remains is only a pitch-black darkness, may the stories of one another guard against that. I hope this story can be a small part of that._Author's note

Table of Contents

Elephant Orphanage | Hornless Rhino | Abandoned Egg | Paradise | First Memory | Mango Fruit Colored Sky |

Rhino's Sea | Blue Horizon | Review

Recommendations

A book filled with genuine resonance that makes awkward melodrama, forced demands, sympathy, and teachings all seem trifling.

It has been a year since children could not visit their favorite zoo due to COVID-19. Memories of the promise to go together when the situation improves started to emerge, and confusion began. Perhaps it was because I read a book that teaches stronger lessons than any other about knowing 'animal rights' and 'respecting animals'? Though it wasn't a planned meeting, the heart to cherish and take responsibility for 'life' holds many more stories than just 'animal rights.' I want to apologize on behalf of all humans to Norden and the young penguin, wherever they might be right now, if allowed. I'm sorry._Kyobo Bookstore Kim Ji-eun M

It’s remarkable. The image of rhino Norden going towards a world of uncertainty, leaving behind a safe self-world. In fact, that safe self-world could not have been completed without the elephants who stayed with him. The young penguin, who journeyed with Norden, stands on the starting line looking for another companion, leaving its safe self-world as well. The readers of this story will also one day stand on their own starting line. By then, the stories of the rhino and the young penguin may not seem so miraculous anymore. And I believe that the care passed down from the elephant to the rhino and from the rhino to the penguin will also be passed on to others._Aladin Lim Ah-hyuk MD

These days, when it feels like we are going through a dark long night, the journey of the rhino and baby penguin, two mismatched animals, encourages us to navigate through the darkness. Even though the future seems distant due to COVID-19 and it's hard to have hope, let us slowly move towards our dreams just like the protagonist who does not shrink back from life's pains._Yes Kim Soo-young MD

There were moments while reading that brought me to tears. The unwavering rhino, Nodin, who persevered even in the face of repeated tragedy, gave me a profound emotional impact throughout the reading and provided me with the courage to bear the weight of the life I must live. Do not tire, and do not give up. The words that good days will come, which sounded cowardly when I was young, now feel somewhat understandable. Because I did not tire and did not give up, there is happiness to enjoy, and that happiness becomes the strength that sustains life. I hope this book provides strength to everyone worn out by COVID. Ultimately, like Nodin, we will survive by pooling our strength with our family, friends, and neighbors, and we will reclaim our foundation. _Interpark Song Hyun-joo MD

Author Introduction

Text + Illustrations | Ruri

Studied art theory.