The French edition of the South Korean creative nonfiction picture book “Borders,” titled “Qu’est-ce qu’une frontière?" in French, has been awarded the prestigious Prix Sorcières in the nonfiction category, its South Korean publisher Bearbooks said on March 25.
The Prix Sorcières, awarded by the Association of Librarians of France (ABF) and the Association of Children’s Bookstores (ALST), recognizes the best children’s and young adult books of the year. The selection process spans over a year, with committees choosing 30 books across six categories. The final winners are determined through a member vote and announced the following spring.
While notable authors from French-speaking countries and English-language writers such as Anthony Browne and J.K. Rowling have won the award in the past, “Borders” marks the first time a South Korean author has received the Prix Sorcières. The book was written and illustrated by Gudol and Haerang, making them the first Korean recipients of the award.
The Sorcières Prize committee praised “Borders” as “a brilliant and truly valuable documentary, even essential in the current context,” noting that the book raises awareness among young readers about the concept of borders and conveys humanistic messages. “A border is the boundary between two states, but its meaning goes far beyond this simple definition, as shown by Gudol and Haerang, the authors of this fascinating book,” they said.
Gudol, who wrote “Borders,” traveled for two years as a backpacker in her early 20s, crossing borders on foot, according to Bearbooks. This experience inspired her to explore the idea of borders with children. After collecting hundreds of thousands of photos and researching the topic, she chose 24 borders to highlight, aiming to present the events at those borders as objectively as possible. Haerang, who illustrated the book, captured both the beauty and starkness of these landscapes.
Originally published in South Korea in 2021, “Borders” won the 62nd Korea Book Awards in the same year and has since been translated into Japanese, Taiwanese, and French. The Taiwanese edition received the OpenBook Good Book Awards in 2023, and now the French edition has won the Prix Sorcières in 2024.
Bearbooks commented that while Korean picture books have been gaining international attention in recent years, the industry still faces challenges due to a lack of professional authors, editors, and designers, as well as limited public interest. The publisher expressed hope that this award will encourage more focus and investment in informational picture books.
