July 31, 2023
At 601 years old, two goblin twins, considered by other dokkaebi as “babies, and very silly ones, too,” are quite different from each other. Orange-hued with a single horn, Doki “did not like scaring people,” preferring to offer gifts and to read books. Blue, two-horned Kebi “liked scaring people a bit too much. And he loved to explore,” Cha writes. Learning that the abandoned house they live in will soon be demolished, the twins head for a place where people visit haunted houses desiring to be frightened—and land in New York City. Portrayed with intensely saturated color that adds depth and dimensionality, Kim’s digital illustrations of the siblings’ house-hunt supply movement and humor to their ongoing debates over what kind of new home to choose and how to decorate for Halloween. It all leads to their amusing final reaction to a horde of trick-or-treaters. Based in Korean lore, this read’s a treat any day of the year. An author’s note concludes. Ages 3–7.