BUSAN -- Picture books are not just for children, said celebrated picture book artist Lee Suzy, the first South Korean national to win the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration category in 2022.

On the first day of the inaugural Busan International Children's Book Fair, Lee took the stage as one of the headliners, her popularity evident in the size of the audience -- the 100-seat venue was packed and latecomers gathered outside the venue to listen to her deliver her keynote speech.

"I create my books with children as my primary audience in mind, but I always say picture books are for children and beyond,” said Lee, speaking with reporters after her speech. “I’ve noticed a remarkable increase in adult readers of picture books. I think this is proof of the significance of picture books.”

With the book fair aiming to be both a literary festival and a trade-focused marketplace, Lee expressed her excitement about the fair's ambition to cater to both professionals and the general audience.

“It’s not easy to balance these goals, but I’m hopeful. I’d love to see this event become a celebration where children can touch and turn the pages of books, while also serving as a space for creators to connect, collaborate and find joy,” said Lee.

"When I think about picture books, I’m reminded of a saying: ‘There are new Beatles fans born every day.’ Likewise, there will always be new readers, because children will always exist. And what they need will never change.”

Color as narrative in wordless books

In her speech titled, "The Wide Rainbow of Children," Lee discussed her use of color in her wordless picture books and how it shapes the narrative.

For instance, in "Wave," she employed only black and blue, reserving the blue for a child’s wet clothes to signify the transformative experience of encountering a new world. In "Shadow," she used yellow and black, with yellow blooming in areas imagined by the child. Meanwhile, in "Dream of Becoming Water," blue was the sole color, but different tones and shades were used.

“In this way, each color carries meaning, and the narrative shifts depending on how and where colors are expressed,” Lee explained to reporters afterward.

“Picture books are very short, which means every design element matters. Take the dust jacket, for example. It might seem like a simple cover to protect the book, but if I choose to add one, I often use it to tell an additional layer of the story."

The same applies to colors.

“When I employ one or two recurring colors, they serve as clues, guiding the reader toward a specific narrative thread. And when the reader deciphers these visual cues, the picture book transforms into an incredibly engaging experience.”

Exploring new artistic frontiers

Her latest book, "Danced Away," released this June, was begun when she was offered a chance to turn it into digital art in the form of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). The pages were each adapted into independent NFT digital artworks and sold.

Lee said she was curious about what it would be like for a traditional book to enter the digital world. When she was offered the project, her immediate thought was of Ravel's "Bolero."

“I’ve always felt that the structure of 'Bolero,' with its gradual buildup, is similar to the narrative of a children’s book. It starts with the sound of drums and gradually adds in more instruments, ending with a big, dramatic climax.”

Lee imagined the story beginning with a dot. As the child continues to dance, new friends are introduced on each page, bringing in fresh colors and ideas.

The book is accompanied by a new arrangement of "Bolero," created by music director Jang Young-gyu from the band Leenalchi.

On her mastery of wordless picture books, Lee emphasized that the absence of text is an invitation to endless imagination.

“A wordless picture book isn’t one where the text has simply been removed. It’s a book where words were never necessary in the first place. The story unfolds through the images.”

Adults, she noted with a smile, are often thrown off when they open a book and find no words.

“Children, on the other hand, aren’t fazed at all. If they feel the book speaks to them, they immediately start filling the empty spaces with their imagination,” said Lee, adding that she loves that moment when their creativity takes flight.

“Readers have to pause, think and piece together their own answers. That moment is what I find magical. It’s the moment when readers become their most creative selves.”