Who still remembers the story "A Dog of Flanders", about an artistic orphaned boy Nello and his dog Patrasche? I can't remember what the Afrikaans title was when it aired in South Africa in the 80s. In any case, it turns out that while the story is rather unknown around the world -- even in the native Belgium that is its setting -- it is actually quite popular in Japan and here in Korea where it is considered a great children's literature classic.
Spoiler Alert: In the original book by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée (aka Ouida), Nello and Patrasche freeze to death, but not before succeeding in their journey to see the great paintings of Rubens. (The animated version has a less tragic ending.) I think because I was a rather lonely and artistically inclined child who spend much of my free time drawing, I especially associated with Nello. How different is this story, and others like it such as Heidi and The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (Holgerssons) from today's children's animations! I really believe that these tails of realistic loss and suffering endured by children better prepared me for my future life. These stories taught me that good doesn't always win over evil, that the innocent are not free from suffering. Maybe that is why it is also popular in Korea.
