Sojung Kim-McCarthy

@creativesojung.bsky.social

1193 Followers 964 Following

Author-illustrator 🇰🇷🇬🇧 She/her Agent: @agenthawk.bsky.social BINNA’S DALGONA tinyurl.com/3m7bpcd3 instagram.com/creativesojung sojungkimmccarthy.art sojungkimmccarthy@gmail.com

#KidLitArtPostcard from author & illustratir Sojung Kim-McCarthy. Portfolio: sojungkimmccarthy.art Email: sojungkimmccarthy@gmail.com Instagram: @creativesojung Agent: Susan Hawk (Upstart Crow Literary) Image caption: A girl is riding on the back of a blue dragon over a landscape of fields and distant mountains browned from continued droughts. They look upon the sky to summon rain with their superpowers.
From antiai community on Reddit u/Dazzling-Major-5620 • 2h ChatGPT not letting you emulate specific authors anymore Prompting I've been writing my book for several months now, paid for a more advanced model. Took a break. Came back. Now Ms. GPT says she can't generate content in the style of specific authors. My prompts were soooo specific and I got exactly what | wanted out of them. For example, rewrite in the literary style of 'author here' with abundant dialogue and detail avoiding staccato prose. That was m go-to. Or 'please write and flesh out in the style of 'author' etc. the tiahtened the ropes. I have no idea how
2 framed oil paintings hung on a wall. Painting 1: Calla lilies against bright orange colour background. Painting 2: Black cat hiding behind calla lilies against lavender colour background
Some of my fun oil drawings on board in hot pink, ultramarine blue, green and white
Maeve Mulvaney Has Had Enough by KELLY MANGAN
SEOUL FOOD WRITTEN BY Erin Danielle Russell ILLUSTRATED BY Tamisha Anthony
Chucky with his portrait. I took the reference pic when he was homeless. By the time he came to collect his portrait, he was housed & had a haircut✨
Oil portrait of Mary & Gary
The book cover of the Bi Book by A.J. Irving & Cynthia Alonso
Pastel portrait of Mark & Trixie
Drawing of my dog Georgiou at the Christchurch Harbour
Illustration for Binna’s Dalgona - Binna & friends are having a picnic on a quiet beach, watching sunset
Illustration for my picture book BINNA’S DALGONA - Binna is cycling up a big hill and her sister is following her
Black & white illustration of a book lover girl chasing her evil goth sister who’s running away with her book
The front cover illustration of The Girl Who Became A Fish, one of my favourite books I’ve worked on. Written by Polly Ho-Yen & illustrated by Sojung Kim-McCarthy
My hand holding up the harvest of garlics from the garden this year
Happy birthday image with the cover of my picture book BINNA’S DALGONA in the centre and a hand written text “Happy 1st book birthday, Binna!” below.
This month’s Kid Lit Art Postcard from Sojung Kim-McCarthy with a picture book illustration from BINNA’S DALGONA where Binna is making her Korean homemade sweet for her friends. Below the illustration is Sojung’s contact details. Portfolio: sojungkimmccarthy.art / Instagtam: @creativesojung / Email: sojungkimmccarthy@gmail.com / Agent: Susan Hawk at Upstart Crow Literary
Happy AANHPI Heritage Month message with BINNA’S DALGONA picture book cover in the middle. In the illustration below, Binna is proudly holding up a star-shaped dalgona at a picnic with her friends.
Announcement for Notable Social Studies Book Awards: An annual reading list of exceptional books for use in social studies classrooms, selected by social studies educators. Binna’s Dalgona by Sojung Kim-McCarthy. Fiction for 4 to 6 year-olds, Picture Book, BIPOC Characters and Creators. Awarded by National Council For Social Studies & Children’s Book Council, this list features K-12 annotated titles published in the previous calendar year that are exceptional books for use in social studies classrooms, selected by social studies educators.
Picture book style illustration of a group of girls wishing upon a lantern, with their faces lit by the warm glow of lanterns #KidLitArt #LanternFestival
Me when my cat runs with my cake
Tiny but feisty puppy ran through the guts of the tiger that tried to eat her. The tiger died from anal rupture.
Santa is reading a book to the elves & a deer & a cat. They’re all snuggled up in and around the bed by a fireplace.
Black cat JJ (M6) licking his face on my work table
Two maiden spirits appeared in front of the new governor of Cheolsan
Drawing of Cheoyong mask that is used for Cheoyongmu
The dutiful son is turning into a tiger with the power of the magic book he was given in his dream
The blue frog crying next to his mom’s grave by the river
The king in the palace is embarrassed by his big ears. His master of crowns and hats is letting the secret out in a bamboo forest.
Evil greedy tiger falling from the sky because he’s got a rotten rope from heaven
Childrens giving a hug to the earth in space, over a hand written sentence “There is no planet B”
Zack offering a cupcake he made to Binna
Two drawings of fairies with butterfly wings. Sennelier oil pastels on canvas
Children’s book style illustration of mum & daughter witches snuggled up on a sofa with hot drinks in their hands. They’re cozy, surrounded by family - a black cat asleep in a pumpkin-shaped house, a ghost playing hide-and-seek, and another black cat trying to catch a spider in a corner. There’s a ghost wearing a mask outside the window.
New agent announcement illustration in traditional Korean minhwa style. A Korean girl in hanbok riding on the back of a roaring tiger is greeting a three-legged crow on a pine tree. The writing in a red square in traditional stamp style says “Repped by Upstart Crow.”
New agent announcement illustration in traditional Korean minhwa style. A Korean girl in hanbok riding on the back of a roaring tiger is greeting a three-legged crow on a pine tree. The writing in a red square in traditional stamp style says “Repped by Upstart Crow.”
Two ladybirds on my apple tree. Small one is on top of bigger one.
School Library Journal review of BINNA’S DALGONA: K-Gr 4–This debut offers a heartfelt and honest look at the emotional challenges of starting over in a new place. Inspired by the author’s experience, the story follows young Binna as she adjusts to a new school, learns a new language, and tries to hold on to the familiar comforts of her cultural identity. Binna is proud and excited after making dalgona all on her own. But when she tries to share her joy at school, the words get stuck; English doesn’t come easily for her yet. This moment of frustration and embarrassment is rendered with care, both in the storytelling and in Kim-McCarthy’s expressive illustrations. The imagery of jumbled words and confused emotions adds depth to Binna’s experience and will resonate with anyone who has ever felt lost for words or out of place. With gentle encouragement from Unnie, Binna begins to see that she is capable, and that the challenges she’s facing don’t take away from everything she’s already accomplished. Kim-McCarthy’s authentic voice makes the story feel deeply personal, while her art enhances understanding of Binna’s journey in a way that is emotionally powerful. It introduces big feelings without being overly simplified or sentimental. Grounded in a specific cultural context, the book offers a universal message: it’s okay to struggle, and growth takes time. VERDICT A beautifully told and illustrated story about resilience, identity, and the power of encouragement. A thoughtful addition to classrooms and libraries alike.
Screenshot of Food As Culture book list on Social Justice Book website
World Illustration Awards 2025 longlist announcement with a scene from Binna’s Dalgona, my picture book about a Korean girl who just moved to a new country. In this scene, she’s holding up her cut out dalgona on a beach surrounded by her new friends.
I wasn’t always this obsessed with food. Rather, you could say I was a reluctant eater. My mom hated cooking and instead prided herself on being good-looking. In Korea, a woman can’t look good without being slim, and my mom (and my dad, when he was around) would openly comment on other people’s looks in front of me. I guess that’s how I learned at a young age that being skinny was more valuable than eating well. So I didn’t understand the joy of eating, which meant I didn’t understand the joy of eating together. I never understood the joy of cooking, either. Which is one of the reasons I thought I would do well studying for a Master’s degree in illustration in the UK, because I wouldn’t fall into the agony of missing Korean–or mom’s–food, like many people point out as the biggest hardship when living abroad.
Exploring the World of Food in Picture Books by Wendy Rancier MLS. If you watched the popular Netflix show Squid Game, you may remember the Korean sweet treat of dalgona. Dalgona is a retro street food that is still enjoyed and is made by melting sugar and adding baking soda to make a toffee-like treat. The sugary mixture is poured onto a flat surface and stamped with a cookie cutter to imprint an image. The fun continues as you try to trim away the outline of the sugar without breaking the picture. A fragile and tasty game. Korean-British author and illustrator Sojung Kim-McCarthy explores dalgona and the challenges of being an immigrant child in Binna’s Dalgona. Binna is starting to feel grown up and getting used to her new school and life away from Korea.
A brown Korean shorthair tabby licking a dalgona with glitters on her face
Book cover of The Night Forest, written by Polly Ho-Yen, illustrated by Sojung Kim-McCarthy, published by Knights Of
A young Korean woman farting the biggest fart ever & blowing away her in-laws’ house & family