Cathy Spagnoli Books

When the great god Shao promises Tiger nine cubs each year, Bird comes up with a clever trick to prevent the land from being overrun by tigers.

The tiger, a popular character in Korean art and folktales, is a villain in this origin tale. Having gobbled up the rice cake seller and all her rice cakes, the tiger chases her two small children. But they escape. And the tiger? Although in the traditional ending the tiger too dies, in this story what happens to the tiger is… AI-KOO! Wordbirds explain the meaning of that and other Korean words and expressions. The bold, colourful illustrations draw inspiration from the simple drama of the story cards of kamishibai, Japanese paper theatre.