[New Book Information] "It's okay to be here, just as you are——🪨✨" A picture book for everyone who lives sincerely every day. "I Am Here" A quiet, powerful message from Korea.

It's okay to be here, just as you are——🪨✨ A quiet, powerful message from Korea.

"I am a stone."

A roadside stone that could be anywhere.

But—even if no one praises you, if you can think "I'm wonderful" yourself, that's enough.

▼

What it quietly speaks to is "living in your own place."

It's a book that gently teaches the importance of accepting yourself "here," even if it's the place you were born, the place you were put, or sometimes a difficult place.

📖POINT

A story that gently nurtures self-esteem A theme that resonates with children and adults alike A book that allows deep thought with simple words Recommended as a gift

It's a picture book that makes you want to gently accept your current self.

I found the seed for this picture book during a period when I was thinking about the <place> where people are. I was thinking about the places we protect in life, such as the place we are born into, a simply happy place, or a place where we must silently endure hardship. If it were only comfortable places, I would not have thought so deeply.

(From the afterword, "To our readers in Japan")

●Book Information

Title: I Am Here Written and illustrated by Yoon Hye-jung / Translated by Nagi Yoshikawa

Publisher: Iwasaki Shoten Co., Ltd. Price: ¥1,870 (¥1,700 + tax) Format: A4 modified size, 32 pages Target age: Approximately 3 years old to general readers Distribution date: April 10, 2026 Release date: April 14, 2026 ISBN: 978-4-265-85253-6

Iwasaki Shoten product page: https://www.iwasakishoten.co.jp/book/b10159937.html Product introduction video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tqkMo_YP3UY

●Author Introduction

Written and illustrated by Yoon Hye-jung Born in 1982. After graduating from Hanyang Women's University, Department of Illustration, she worked at a securities company. After retiring, she started creating picture books while raising children. ------ Sincere people are strong and radiant. I want to express my gratitude and respect to all who live sincerely in their respective places. This is the first picture book I have written and illustrated.

Translated by Nagi Yoshikawa Studied at Yonsei University Language Institute and Inha University, Department of Korean Literature (Ph.D. program) in Korea. Doctor of Literature. Author of "Dada in Gyeongseong, Dada in Tokyo" (Heibonsha), translator of "Introduction to Literary Counseling" by Jin Eun-young and Kim Kyung-hee (Kurodori-sha), "My Neighbor Younghee" by Chung So-yeon (Shueisha), "Toji" by Park Kyong-ni, "A Murderer's Guide to Memorization" by Kim Young-ha (CUON), and many others. ------ Poet Shigeharu Tsuboi wrote, "Stones have lived silently for hundreds of millions of years." Yoon Hye-jung seems to have written down the silent words hidden deep within the stone. I would be happy if I could convey that faint whisper.