Korean Folktales for Little Readers · Book 4
The Rabbit and the Turtle Under the Sea
A Korean Folktale · Retold by Bright Lee
The Dragon King wants a rabbit’s liver. The rabbit has other plans.
Deep under the sea, Yongwang the Dragon King has a terrible tummy ache. “Ooh, my tummy!” His octopus doctor says only one thing can help: a rabbit’s liver! So a brave little turtle, a jara, paddles up to the shore. “Come to the palace, Mr. Rabbit! The king will give you a fine hat!”
When the rabbit finds out what the king really wants, he must think fast. Think, think, think! Can one clever rabbit trick a whole palace of sea creatures and get safely home?
This is not the tortoise-and-hare race. It is a Korean trickster tale, first told more than 1,300 years ago and still sung today in pansori.
A note for parents: As in the traditional tale, the king’s doctor says a rabbit’s liver will cure him. Nothing scary is shown. There are no knives and no pictures of a liver. The rabbit thinks fast, nobody gets hurt, and his liver stays “safe inside me!”
- Ages
- 4–8
- Format
- Paperback, 8.5 × 8.5 in, full color, 32 pages · Kindle edition coming soon
- ISBN-13
- 979-8161952061 (paperback)
- Published
- October 12, 2026
- Publisher
- Glowwin Books
From the Journal: The rabbit, the turtle, and a 1,300-year-old tale
Look inside
At the back of the book
More than a story
- About This Story
The 1,300-year-old tale, the real jara turtle, and the sun-and-moon screen behind Korean kings. - Korean Words
First Korean words with easy pronunciation. - Tricky Words to Say
Help for grown-ups reading aloud, including parents still learning English. - Talk About It
Questions to share after reading, plus a space to draw your own sea creature.
Korean words in this book
| Korean | Spelled | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 토끼 | tokki | TOH-kee | rabbit |
| 자라 | jara | JAH-rah | soft-shelled turtle |
| 용왕 | Yongwang | YOHNG-wahng | the Dragon King of the Sea |
| 용궁 | Yonggung | YOHNG-goong | the Dragon King’s palace |
| 바다 | bada | BAH-dah | sea |
| 문어 | muneo | MOO-nuh | octopus |
