Get the latest updates in your inbox and sign up for more info!
"Star Papa": A Journey from Picture Book to Immersive Experience
The Korean house BookGorae won the 2025 BolognaRagazzi CrossMedia Award with Star Papa, an immersive, interactive project that blends picture book artistry with immersive technology. For Woo Hyun-ok, founder of BookGorae, crossmedia is not just a technical shift, but a way to keep picture books relevant, emotional, and widely accessible. The BRCMA recognition has sparked new creative paths for the publisher and inspired others in Korea to explore the power of cross-platform narratives.
1. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
I am Woo Hyun-ok, publisher and CEO of BookGorae. I am also a children’s author and a teacher who mentors aspiring picture book creators. In addition, I lead various projects to introduce the wonderful genre of picture books to a wider audience.
Star Papa is the first picture book written and illustrated by Han Dam-hee, my first student from the university course I taught. I first met Han Dam-hee in 2011, so it has already been 14 years since then. Over the years, Han has illustrated many children’s books and picture books. Starting in 2021, she began working as an illustrator for indie games, and that period turned out to be quite a difficult time for her. She told me that creating Star Papa is what helped her endure that hardship. As I watched the process unfold and witnessed how wholeheartedly she poured herself into the work, it was only natural for me to decide to publish the book.
At the same time, we also prepared for the Bologna Ragazzi CrossMedia Award submission. BookGorae has always been ahead of other publishers when it comes to creating not only print books but also a wide range of digital content based on picture books. This was possible thanks to the collaboration with K3I Inc., a technology partner. I believe that winning the Bologna Ragazzi CrossMedia Award in 2025 was the result of a shared vision and dedication between the artist, the publisher, and a company with strong technological capabilities.
2. Could you tell us a little about your project?
Media has been developing at a tremendously rapid pace day by day, and it is a reality that children are now exposed to digital content without any protection. No matter how much we emphasize the value, role, and meaning of print books—especially picture books—we have to accept that they inevitably must coexist alongside digital content.
As someone who has created children’s books for a long time, this has been a significant concern for me. I wanted to maintain the beauty and artistic value of picture books, but also envisioned content that would not simply be passive video but something children could enjoy experiencing and interacting with.
I began thinking about combining media art with experiential content. Star Papa was created digitally by Han Dam-hee, and the story was highly suitable for being transformed into video using VR, AR, and XR technologies that K3I Inc. has been developing for over 20 years. Indeed, when we produced it as an immersive multi-sided video experience, watching children delight in it inside the installation space brought so much satisfaction that it made everyone who saw it happy. At present, we are working to produce more picture books as immersive video content. My hope is that in many more spaces, children will be able to not only read picture books as print but also step into the stories themselves to experience them with joy.
3. Can you describe your project’s unique ingredients?
Star Papa is an immersive multi-sided interactive video experience. As children engage with the installation, they can touch the space around them, complete missions, and at the same time, read through the entire picture book.
By moving their bodies, running around, and performing different missions (interactions) at each scene, they gain a complete understanding of the story. Whereas most video content remains non-interactive, this immersive content was created with a strong emphasis on interactivity. This is because interactivity is extremely important in digital content designed for children. I believe this is Star Papa’s greatest strength.It is not merely about watching a beautiful video or simply viewing animated scenes from the book—it is a type of media content that allows children to fully experience and feel the story with their whole bodies.
4. How do you see the future of storytelling for children and young adults?
I believe that as long as humanity exists, stories will exist forever. That will be no different for children and young adults. However, I do think the ways in which stories are consumed will change. Depending on who is consuming stories and how, the people who create them will also change. This is where I think an important transformation is occurring.
The boundary between consumers and creators has become much more permeable, and in that shift, the role of AI is growing significantly. Recently, many creators in Korea have also been caught up in this upheaval. Nevertheless, one thing will not change: stories will continue to be consumed endlessly. Regardless of who consumes them or what stories they choose, dividing stories into tiers or categories of quality as we did in the past may become increasingly meaningless.
Determining value will become a matter for each individual consumer to decide. In the future, it may be harder for anyone to set universal standards for what is good or bad, right or wrong. People will need to build their own discernment and select the content that suits them best. Perhaps, in this environment, the role of editors who curate and recommend tailored content will grow more important again. I believe that humanity has overcome countless adversities throughout its long history and will continue to create a better future.
5. Why should a publisher/developer/author... participate in the BRCMA?
The Bologna Ragazzi CrossMedia Award (BRCMA) is, without question, a celebration of content created collaboratively by publishers, developers, and authors working together.
I think picture books are one of the most suitable genres to adapt into diverse forms of content. That’s why I hope to see picture books become the source for a wider variety of digital content, merchandise, and cultural performances.
Since Star Papa received the Bologna Ragazzi CrossMedia Award, extraordinary things have been happening for us. Not only has the book been introduced and licensed in many countries, but discussions are underway for a large-scale musical adaptation. Plans are also in progress to produce it as animation and other kinds of content. This recognition has elevated the profile of the author as well as our publishing house.
Other Korean authors have been inspired by this achievement and are now preparing to take on the challenge of cross-media adaptations themselves. I would like to express my gratitude again to the Bologna Book Fair, the Ragazzi Award jury, and everyone involved for making this possible.
...and it is a reality that children are now exposed to digital content without any protection
The BolognaRagazzi CrossMedia Award is the prize of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair that celebrates publishing projects able to expand their narrative world beyond the book, through games, podcasts, web series, films, and more. It’s open to anyone who has created cross-media experiences, not just publishers: authors, production companies, IP developers, specialised studios... anyone who has brought the story to life across different platforms. For all the details and rules, check out the official award page.
