Moon Pops means a lot to me. It was my second published picture book. After my first book, I couldn’t publish another one for a long time. So it took me a lot of courage to start writing again. After Moon Pops I could write books consistently, and almost twenty years have passed since then. So Moon Pops is meaningful to me.

[Read Horn Book reviews of the 2022 BGHB Picture Book winners.]

It has been a long time since this book was published in Korea, but it was recently introduced to North America. Then it got a good response from ­American ­readers, so it became an even more meaningful book to me. I think receiving this award means I need to be more courageous in the future so I can keep writing and publishing great books for children.

Thank you very much. Let’s meet again with another book. Thank you for enjoying my books.

Heena Baek constructing art for Moon Pops. (Photo courtesy of Heena Baek.)

From the January/February 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. For more on the 2022 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, click on the tag BGHB22. Read more from The Horn Book by and about Heena Baek.