Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers on September 23, 2025
Genres: Children's
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A resonant reminder to make the time to be kind, set in the bustling city of Seoul.
One rainy morning, the Seogang Bridge hums with traffic―and in between the cars is a tiny kitten. People mutter to themselves, but no one wants to stop or slow down. The raindrops pelt the road; the cars screech and honk; the kitten mews. Finally one car pulls over…
With atmospheric art by acclaimed illustrator Myungae Lee, Late Today asks readers to choose compassion in the midst of busyness. This stirring story is perfect for cat lovers, city dwellers, and anyone who’s ever lost themselves in the rush of life.
Seoul is awake. The day is dreary. The city stretches and rumbles to life. Cars pack the roadway as everyone jostles for position. Nobody wants to be late. In the midst of that controlled chaos comes something new. A kitten is crossing the bridge, weaving in and out between traffic—lost, confused, and scared. The city begins to react. Everybody is watching the kitten narrowly avoid death over and over again. And then, one person stops.
On its surface, Late Today is the story about a lost cat saved from the highway. Poke a bit deeper and there’s a poignant reflection on how, sometimes, it only takes one person doing the right thing to make the world a better place. In reality, this is about more than a cat. It could be commentary on how our technological landscape has made life difficult for nature by pushing out the natural environment. It’s a statement about the busyness of life—nobody wants to be late!—being interrupted by a reminder that some things are worth being late for. It’s a reminder that, while we may not be able to save everyone, just maybe we can save someone. Jungyoon Huh’s introspective story is simple, but leaves us with a lot to ponder.
The illustrations, done by Myungae Lee, are outstanding. Lee really captures the hustle and bustle of the city. The illustrations have a crayon-like appearance, which give a childlikeness to it. It feels like something a young artist might draw looking out at the drama from a school bus. This is a translated story, adapted from the original by Aerin Park. There a couple of times where it feels like Park was translating a cultural idiom and while the impact of the original doesn’t exactly come through, Park manages to both capture the meaning and retain the cultural feel of the phrasing.
My lone criticism is that the kitten is said to be two weeks old. I don’t know if this is a bad translation or what Jungtoon Huh actually wanted it to say. As someone with the experience of raising baby kittens, I can tell you that two-week-old kittens aren’t running anywhere. At that age, kitten can barely walk on wobbly little legs and their eyesight hasn’t really developed. They certainly won’t be dashing all over a bridge. Maybe Late Today meant to say “two months,” which would be a much more accurate age.
In the end, though, my daughter loves cats so she loved this book. It’s a thoughtful, cute story for the cat lover in your life.