Once Upon An Hour

From the publisher:

Yu-Rhee, a young Korean girl, wants to know how to tell time using a clock.

Her mother tells her a tale from her childhood based on the traditional Korean practice of timekeeping, where the 12 animals of the zodiac are assigned to 2-hour sections of the 24-hour clock. Told from the point of view of a mountain, the story follows a child as they climb the mountainside in search of a plant to heal their ailing mother. The climb is steep, the path wild and the way difficult. The mountain watches the child struggle and calls on the animals that live on the mountainside to help the child, but as sunlight turns to moonlight, each animal claims to be too busy. Ultimately, Once Upon an Hour is a story about determination and teamwork that shows young readers the importance of helping others.

Orca Book Publishers is pleased to offer Once Upon an Hour in two accessible editions. The audiobook features alternate text descriptions of images, including the cover. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Orca Guest Post: Ann Yu-Kyung Choi on using animals to tell time in Once Upon an Hour

In a guest post for the Orca Blog, she explains how her own grandmother taught her about this Korean timekeeping practice.

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Continue reading.

Watch to learn more about the stories behind the book.

TD Summer Reading Club, 2022. Click on the book.

Recognition

TD Summer Reading Club 2022, Recommended picture book
BC Books for BC Schools, 2021, Commended
Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD kids): Picture Book-of-the-Month, October 2020
CBC Books’ Anticipated Fall Picture Books List, 2020
49th Shelf: Most Anticipated: Our Fall 2020 Books for Young Readers Preview

“A curious premise with captivating illustrations.” – Kirkus Reviews

“The repetitive text here is soothing in cadence…Pleasing colours, and the winsome expressions on the face of the hopeful child make readers sympathetic to the situation.” – CM: Canadian Review of Materials

“Illustrations which are inexplicably special…The timeless and universal message of helping others will resonate with listeners of this story whether young or old. This book needs to be part of an elementary school library as well as pre-school and home libraries. By using animals who are active at different times of the day to teach the concept of time, this folktale is especially memorable as well as useful.” – Must Read Literature

Order your copy of Once Upon An Hour!