A translated version of a best-selling South Korean children’s novel about the adventures of a hen who escapes her coop in search of freedom will soon be sold in Germany, the book’s local publisher here said Tuesday.

“The book will be published in Germany and other German-speaking countries sooner or later following its export to China last month,” Sakyejul (Four Seasons) Publishing Co. said in a release. “We’re now seeking a partner to publish the German language version of the book,” it said.

The book titled “Leafie, a Hen into the Wild” by South Korean writer Hwang Seon-mi has sold more than 1.1 million copies in the local book market since its release in May 2000.

It tells a story of life and death, hope, freedom and love through a hen named “Leafie” who escapes from her coop, raises her duckling son with great love and sacrifices herself to protect him from danger.

The publisher signed a contract with China’s Jieli Publishing House in September last year to release the Chinese translation of the book to bookstores across the country last month.

Translated into Japanese, the book has also become popular among Japanese children, selling some 30,000 copies since its debut there in 2003.

Recently, the Korean animated film based on the novel is making a big splash.

The film, which has the same title as the book, has attracted more than 880,000 local viewers in the two weeks after its premier. (Yonhap News)

It has become the most popular South Korean animated film, beating “Robot Taegwon V (1976)” that drew a total of 730,000 viewers. 

(Yonhap News)