Essay comic book on meaningful moments: Goraein Little Sketchbook

Little Sketchbook, encountered through short writing and drawings

The term “essay comic” was actually unfamiliar to me, but as I read Little Sketchbook, its short passages and drawings gave me a great sense of resonance in every section. I enjoyed reading it so much that I wanted to share it.

Little Sketchbook Written and illustrated by Sanghyeon Personally, I was drawn even more to Little Sketchbook because the title itself sounded beautiful. It was an ordinary book in a way, yet it also brought to mind what I may have been like in the past, making it very relatable.

Rather than being ready to return to the original path, it was about knowing that when a precarious moment comes, I can always step away for a while.

A story about stepping away for a while in precarious moments

What the author felt while preparing to retake the College Scholastic Ability Test after dropping out of high school somehow felt like a story I would want to tell my child someday—and perhaps a story I would want to tell myself. It was a particularly moving part.

I thought that if my child faces a truly difficult moment someday, I would want to say that it is important to step away slightly from that hard process, look at the present from another perspective, and take a moment to refresh.

Even the me seen from somewhere among them would occupy a place of light and make up part of a great current. Perhaps everything has a special meaning and an inevitable reason. Wherever I am, whenever it is, I decided to treasure each moment.

Treasuring the moments spent with my child

As I live, I often think that what matters is remembering and enjoying each moment. Because I spend so much time with my child, and because I so want to focus on that child’s precious time, this part resonated with me.

I often feel that everything is connected, to the point where I think there is nothing without a reason. The precious feeling conveyed by the words “special meaning” and “inevitable reason” came across beautifully.

Thoughts and perspectives from things left undone

Things left undone

In the past, I would often weigh down my present feelings with laziness or giving up, saying, “I’ll do it later.” Starting with the author’s story about things left undone during a working holiday in Australia, the focus on what was experienced there gave me a chance to think once more about the importance of thoughts and perspective.

As I read with real enjoyment, I suddenly found myself at the final page. There were many relatable parts, and above all, many that resonated, so I thought it would also make a good gift for someone close.