A mushroom grew on top of my head.

2025 Openbook Award: Children's Book of the Year
2025/2026 Eslite Books Professional Readers' Award
Golden Drawing Award: Picture Book of the Year
50th Golden Tripod Awards: Shortlisted for Book Editing Category

Boop! One morning, Duck woke up to find
a mushroom growing on its head!

The doctor said, "This is worry. Get a good night's sleep, and it will fall off on its own."
But the problem is, how can one not worry?
Every time Duck thought, "Don't worry,"
it just worried even more!

As the mushroom on its head grew bigger and bigger,
its mood became more and more downcast...
To solve this "mushroom" problem,
Duck and its friends embarked on a series of attempts,
with an unexpected ending,
Boop! The worries instantly vanished.


Emerging illustrator Zhu Pin-xuan, with this metaphorical modern fairy tale. The story's rhythm is naturally flowing and seamless, with each twist bringing a surprise, both humorous and profound. The illustration style is lively and vibrant, with bright colors and childlike brushstrokes perfectly showcasing the characters' emotions and situations, making worries not at all annoying, but rather full of fun!


Praise

✦ "The warmest and cutest work of 2025, bar none!" — Lin Lien-en (Picture Book Author)

✦ "Eating away each other's worries and sorrows, one special memory after another, only you understand." — Ko Min-hsun (Singer-songwriter)

✦ "How to solve the worries that follow like a shadow? This is a profound question. The author uses a child's perspective to help us resolve this great karmic obstacle, which is a kind of tenderness and wisdom. Just as children can always guide us through seemingly trivial difficulties in the simplest way, reaching the end with ease and joy." — Hsia Hsia (Poet)

✦ "Using tangible vegetables to metaphorically represent worries is a very clever approach, a surprisingly charming work." — Kuo Nai-wen (Picture Book Author)


About the Author

Zhu Pin-xuan (PIN XUAN ZHU)

A person who draws and writes stories. Enjoys getting lost in her own creations, and is happy even if she circles back to the starting point. Her works have been shortlisted for the Hsin-Yi Children's Literature Award for Picture Book Creation, the Japan JIA International Illustration Award, and the UK WIA World Illustration Awards, among others.