This children’s picture book is touching and poignant. It focuses on the peacefulness of the animals who thrive in the DMZ (demilitarized zone) between North Korea and South Korea. We see lovely drawings of these little creatures contentedly nurturing their families and building their homes, blissfully unaware of the fact that they live within two barbed wire barricades.

Grandfather, on the other hand, is constantly aware of the wall that divides him from the rest of his family. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter, Grandfather goes to the wall and looks toward the north, longing for his home and his family.

The book ends with a beautiful vision of hope, a land with no walls where Grandfather can hug his family, surrounded by the happy little animals.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Plough Publishing for a digital advance review copy.

This has to be the strangest idea for a children’s book. . . maybe not so much for a kid growing up in South Korea, but still. . .
Vegetation and animals can do whatever they want at the border’s no-man’s-land, but not people. A grandfather is a unifying figure in the story, as he climbs to the observatory to take in the view over and over. The reader is led to believe he’s looking at the landscape and all the animals described, but of course it’s so much more than that.
Despite the small article in the back, a parent should be prepared to explain to the young reader why grandfather can’t go over there.
Best part of this is the artwork, done in the beautiful style of this part of the world.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

In this picture book, the author has introduced me to the demilitarized section of Korea. It is a 2.5 mile wide and 150 miles long where no humans are allowed - not even for a walk. It has become a place that mountain sheep and others may freely lived. It is a nature preserve by default. There is the hope and dreams of families and friends finding each other in the future even though they can’t now in this book. The book gives a different perspective of Korea.

Colorful indeed! wonderfully detailed! WHEN SPRING COMES TO THE DMZ, by Uk-Bae Lee, tells of beautiful green meadows, but also about a razor wire fence surrounding this place that makes it difficult to go there. And the animals that make their home there because they are free to come and go as they please. Why would such a place with beautiful green meadows and all kinds of animals be fenced in? There is a river called Imjin that flows from the Yellow Sea that separates North Korea from South Korea.
At the end of this colorful book it informs the reader what the DMZ is called. Amazing character build, and an intriguing little book; along with an exceptional Grandpa that climbs up to the observatory every little bit. To find out why, read WHEN SPRING COMES TO THE DMZ. A great read!

I had mixed feelings about this book. There is a beauty portrayed through the artwork and parts of the story and yet there is a sadness to the story. So many wonderful things are happening in the area but at the same time, the DMZ is what divides in the country of Korea into North and South. This would be a great book to read aloud while showing the artwork. However, at the same time, this book will provide an opportunity for a discussion as to the history of the DMZ and what the current situation is.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book that was provided by the publisher through Net Galley. However, the thoughts presented here are my own.

Do yourself and your children a HUGE favor and buy this book! Amazing isn't the right word to describe it! It is beyond amazing!

This will stay in you and your child's memory for a very long time!

This book is so incredibly moving, that I had to read it twice. Uk-Bae Lee has crafted a picture book that is nuanced, illuminating and beautiful. I can't wait to share this work with other and the author truly has a gift of telling a story while shedding light on many important ideas without making the ideas seem preachy to its readers. It is darn near perfect.

After living in South Korea for a decade, I’m often surprised by how little people know about the country. This children’s book illustrates a feature of the DMZ that most likely hadn’t heard of - it’s a haven for wildlife. My daughters enjoyed the illustrations, which are gorgeous, and while they are a bit young to comprehend the Korean War and the division of the country, they seemed very interested in the story of Grandfather missing his home. This is one to buy a paper copy of, for sure.

This picture book is beautifully illustrated and simply but movingly written.

The DMZ, or demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, has become an unexpected sort of wildlife refuge, since it is virtually impassable to humans, kept out by their own gates, bars, and wire. The animals are at peace. The humans only long to be.

The book splits its small narrative between the animal activities throughout the year, and the comings and goings of "Grandfather," who approaches the border every now and then in contemplation of where he came from. It is a simple, heartfelt way of illustrating the situation to young people without being grim or bogged down in news. I enjoyed the emphasis on nature, and the basic similarity of people no matter where they live.

A wonderfully political and poetic look at the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. I particularly loved the character of the grandfather and how he dreams of a peaceful resolution between the two governments.

Wow. I'd have always thought that if a space could be used by wildlife or humans, the better choice would be for it being used by wildlife. But the DMZ is a rare case – a place that humans cannot go, for the worst reasons. So this accidental animal sanctuary – bursting with diverse life, as the lovely artwork here proves – ought perhaps to be forgotten about, torn down and returned to use by mankind. It's a very rare occasion when anyone would say that, but this is a rare occasion, and the issues of the whole thing are summarised so wonderfully by this young reader. I'll even ignore the text saying the border is alongside the river, and the artwork having it crossing it. The impact of the ending – with a whopping eight-page fold-out spread to encompass everything – is going to last. I've given books for this age range five stars for nailing an obvious moral – this has a non-obvious moral, and I'll leave it at that. Just wow.

I enjoyed reading When Spring Comes to the DMZ. It is a simple book that holds intense levels of emotion. I read this book nine times continually gaining a better appreciation for those who have experienced the loss of a country.


The pencil drawings throughout this book are colorful, detailed, and fragile. Mother Nature continues to breath life into the passing seasons totally unaware of the wire fence that divides North and South Korea. Rain or shine Grandfather faithfully climbs the expansive stairs leading to the DMZ observatory with his grandson to breathe in the beauty of the northern sky. It goes unsaid yet understood that Grandfather shares his life experiences with his grandson. Daily they bear witnesses to wildlife returning season after season to hatch their young who are completely un-phased by the material division of the two areas. Soldiers from North and South Korea have daily routines, have families, gaze upon the same moon, yet their military ambitions divide them. The author beautifully portrays the stark presence of the military which taints the reader's emotions with a cloud of sadness to the realization that the beauty and freedom of this prior way of life has been lost. As Grandfather loyally climbs the observatory steps day after day he too comes to terms with the emptiness of the northern land. The story draws to a close when Grandfather no longer wants to climb the expanse of steps to view the locked gates, barricades and stop signs. Instead he wants to walk out into the green meadows and lie in the sunny grass looking up at the blue sky of his beloved home country..

Uk-Bae Lee does an excellent job creating a children's book gentle enough to introduce the conversation regarding the divide of South Korea and the North Korea--which, I hope that any children that I would ever have would care about (mostly because I care so much about what God is doing there), without over introduction to the terrible reality that has ripped apart the two countries and has isolated an entire population under a totalitarian dictator. (Wow, that was a really long sentience for a children's book review! Sorry!)

The artwork is gentle and sweet as it walks us through the season changes across the DMZ along with the introduction to the grandfather that longingly looks across the divide. Amid pictures of fish and birds the barbed wire that characterizes the DMZ's edges pokes through.

The author, Uk-Bae Lee is a part of a collaboration of other writers and illustrators that wants to introduce children to peace and the hopes for it. This book is a part of that.

With a push for multicultural education I appreciate that this book doesn't work to scare children but introduces the reality gently. This might not be your child's favorite book, and that is fine, but it could start conversations about what is happening in another part of the world. Lee has also added some information after the story for parents (or the questioning child) about the how the divide began as well as what is currently happening across the mile and a half of land separating the North from the South.

I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

How many non-Korean heritage kiddos in the U.S. (or other non-Asian majority countries) know anything about the Korean peninsula? I'd say it'd be less than 10% have heard more than a passing mention and fewer know the history or real impact on the people of that part of the world.

This book would be a necessary addition to the libraries of families or teachers who want to raise multi-culturally diverse kids. We're learning more about the North Korean and South Korean dynamic in the news as adults. This book makes it digestible for young learners through its recurrent use of the razor-wire fence among the nature in the illustrations and the repetition of the grandfather character staring at the northern sky. Eventually, the reader learns more about what it would be like to live with that DMZ symbol always looming in the distance and the impact it has had on families.

The prose quality is decent from sentence to sentence, made better by the slow reveal of the grandfather's story. The illustrations have poignant composition (the ever-present fence is a powerful communicator) and good quality. I can hear little voices asking lots of questions throughout the book's read aloud. Thankfully, the author included historical facts in the back of the book so adults and kids can learn together.

This book is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Even though it is a children’s’ book, I learned a lot about the Koreas. The pictures are gorgeous and reflect the story of the three different groups (the animals, the soldiers, and the family). I would recommend this book to anyone, whether you have children or not as it is a good educational tool for all.

Did you know that the DMZ, the zone between the two Koreas, is effectively a wild life refuge, and that people no one lives there, some plants and animals that live there, live no where else. So, it is not so odd a think to go and visit the observation deck and look out into it.

A very different sort of picture book, that juxtaposes the wild life with the armies that also live right on the edge of the zone.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4517" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Screen-Shot-2018-09-05-at-10.33.47-PM.png" alt="DMZ" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4516" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Screen-Shot-2018-09-05-at-10.34.05-PM.png" alt="DMZ" />

Good book to teach about the area, and also reflect on what has happened all these years.

Probably a little deep for a picture book, but it can also be read as a beautiful reflection on wildlife.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This was downright bizarre. Cute drawings and classified for children, but clearly aimed towards an adult audience. I have a hard time imagining a kids book about the North/South Korean demilitarized zone on the border, but here it is!

At first, and still, I have no idea what DMZ stands for. For children reading this book, they won't understand what that is either. The book is about seasons and a grandfather that looks (longingly??) at North Korea while being in South Korea. There really isn't a point to this book except to compare the weather/climate between North and South Korea.