The authors’ connection to Korea began almost 40 years ago when Debbi Kent and Joan Suwalsky became adoptive mothers of Korean-born children. Taking a keen interest in their children’s heritage, they became ardent students and then teachers of Korean culture, traveling to Korea once or twice a year and developing a deep affection for the country and its people. As part of their goal to share their love of Korea with English-speaking audiences around the world they authored the comprehensive, beautifully illustrated book, “100 Thimbles in a Box: The Spirit and Beauty of Korean Handicrafts” in 2014. That was followed by a collection of children’s picture books called the Ginkgo Tree Tales. “I Bite the Bad Guys: A Tale of the Korean Tiger,” the first book in the collection, was published in 2019, followed by “The Rooftop Revelers: A Tale of Korean Japsang” in 2024. Co-authored by MaryJo Glover and Yuleui Lee, the stories feature some of the most beloved symbolic characters in Korean art and folklore brought to life in colorful detail in the illustrations by well-known Korean artists.
MARYJO P. GLOVER, a retired speech language pathologist, lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Rt. 19 Writers Group and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
DEBBI KENT, from Great Falls, Virginia, has had a varied career as a writer, editor, public speaker, designer and photographer.
JOAN SUWALSKY, a retired child development research scientist and aspiring potter, lives in Frederick, Maryland.