Grace Lin's Blog, page 36
February 12, 2014
What We're reading Wednesday
Everything Goes Blue Bus, Red Balloon: A Book of Colors By Brian Biggs
(Board Book, 9780061958144, 22pp.
Indiebound Description:
Learn about all the colors of the rainbow with flying, floating, zooming vehicles
My thoughts:
Fun! Great illustrations, I really enjoy how Brian Biggs' "Everything Goes" series is kind of a new modern update on Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things that Go! Especially love the cast of diverse characters--something that I really have to search for in board books.
Rain Dragon's reaction:Rain Dragon likes looking for the balloon in each picture. At least I think she does. She points at it in each spread and says, "Boon up! Yah, Yah!"
February 11, 2014
pssst!
Starry River of the Sky is available in paperback TODAY!
Even though this book didn't win any awards, Starry River of the Sky was my best reviewed book (6 stars)! So, I am very proud of it. In fact, I might go on record and say that I think it is the best book I've written. And the softcover has been printed with the same attention to detail as the hardcover--in full color with 10 full page illustrations! So, if you've been waiting for the paper back, well, here it is!
February 10, 2014
on my desk monday
It's the year of the green horse! I've made these little writing/creativity paper horses to share with my friends as well as a snake...more on this later!
February 7, 2014
fortune cookie friday
"A mountain cannot turn, but a road can."
-Chinese Proverb
February 6, 2014
New Year Gold
The other day, a surprise package came to our house. Since neither I nor the Sasquatch were expecting anything, we were quite curious. What was it?
Of course, Rain Dragon had to open it!
It was New Year gold! It was a box of fresh oranges from Paradise, what has become a traditional gift from librarian Mary Wong. And a very much prized and delighted at yearly gift, I must add. This was Rain Dragon's first experience with the delicious oranges and she was very excited:
I had to explain that they taste better with the "wrapper" off.
As I mentioned earlier, oranges are super lucky for Chinese New Year. It's because the Chinese word for luck is a homonym for the word "wealth"--receiving oranges means we should receive wealth in the New Year!
We definitely feel richer already! Thanks, Mary!
Of course, Rain Dragon had to open it!It was New Year gold! It was a box of fresh oranges from Paradise, what has become a traditional gift from librarian Mary Wong. And a very much prized and delighted at yearly gift, I must add. This was Rain Dragon's first experience with the delicious oranges and she was very excited:
I had to explain that they taste better with the "wrapper" off.As I mentioned earlier, oranges are super lucky for Chinese New Year. It's because the Chinese word for luck is a homonym for the word "wealth"--receiving oranges means we should receive wealth in the New Year!
We definitely feel richer already! Thanks, Mary!
February 5, 2014
What We're Reading Wednesday
It's a new year! One of the things that I'm sorry I haven't been able to keep up with on this blog is my Booktalk Tuesdays--I just don't have as much time to read as I used to! Actually, I take that back. I don't have as much time to read by myself as I used to. I do a lot of reading now, but it's all with Rain Dragon and mainly board books. But some of these board books I love! Some she loves! And sometimes, every once and a while, we both love! So I've decided to try to start What We're Reading Wednesdays, where I'll feature the book(or books) that we're reading non-stop.
Today, I'm featuring two board books written by a former teacher of mine, Mary Brigid Barrett. She sent them to me as a thank you for participating in the Literary Lights event at the National Book Festival, but I should be thanking her. These books are truly superb for babies!
Pat-a-Cake
All Fall Down
They are some of the few books that Rain Dragon and I both adore. I love the art, especially the multicultural cast of kids and she loves acting out the words.
she's patting the potato!
and she made her blocks "all fall down!"
Pat-a-Cake, written by Mary Brigid Barrett, illustrated by Leuyen Pham
All Fall Down, written by Mary Brigid Barrett, illustrated by Leuyen Pham
(Candlewick board books, 16 pages)
Today, I'm featuring two board books written by a former teacher of mine, Mary Brigid Barrett. She sent them to me as a thank you for participating in the Literary Lights event at the National Book Festival, but I should be thanking her. These books are truly superb for babies!
Pat-a-Cake
All Fall DownThey are some of the few books that Rain Dragon and I both adore. I love the art, especially the multicultural cast of kids and she loves acting out the words.
she's patting the potato!
and she made her blocks "all fall down!"Pat-a-Cake, written by Mary Brigid Barrett, illustrated by Leuyen Pham
All Fall Down, written by Mary Brigid Barrett, illustrated by Leuyen Pham
(Candlewick board books, 16 pages)
February 3, 2014
on my desk monday
Did you celebrate Lunar New Year? Did you forget? No worries, because Lunar New Year celebrations last for 15 (yes, 15) days! So you still have 11 days left!
I say this because on my desk is a just-received-copy of the bilingual edition of This Next New Year.
The original edition of this book recently went out of print which, in my opinion is a great travesty as I think it is a Lunar New Year classic. However, my friend Janet Wong made lemonade out of the lemons and reissued new bilingual versions of them! She made it available in Chinese/English as well Korean/English, which is super-completely awesome.
What I appreciate in this the bilingual version of This Next New Year is that it does not just Chinese characters, but it also has the pinyin. This is very important for me, considering my level of Chinese skill. Having the pinyin in the book makes it actually useful to me and I can even share some Chinese with Rain Dragon!
So many readers ask me if my books are available in bilingual editions and I always have to disappoint them. At least now I can point them to a book that is (as well be inspired for my own books in the future)!
I say this because on my desk is a just-received-copy of the bilingual edition of This Next New Year.
The original edition of this book recently went out of print which, in my opinion is a great travesty as I think it is a Lunar New Year classic. However, my friend Janet Wong made lemonade out of the lemons and reissued new bilingual versions of them! She made it available in Chinese/English as well Korean/English, which is super-completely awesome.
What I appreciate in this the bilingual version of This Next New Year is that it does not just Chinese characters, but it also has the pinyin. This is very important for me, considering my level of Chinese skill. Having the pinyin in the book makes it actually useful to me and I can even share some Chinese with Rain Dragon!
So many readers ask me if my books are available in bilingual editions and I always have to disappoint them. At least now I can point them to a book that is (as well be inspired for my own books in the future)!
January 31, 2014
in comes the horse!
Today is Lunar New Year!!! Goodbye, Year of the Snake! Hello, Year of the Horse!
In celebration, I thought post a small update on the little primer I wrote on the Lunar New Year in 2010. In that post, I explained about Year of the Tiger. Now, let's talk about the Horse:
Q. This is the Year of the Horse! What does that mean?
In my book, THE YEAR OF THE RAT, there is the story of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac, which tells of the great race of the animals to win the the honor of a year named after them. The winning animals had their own characteristics as you can tell by how they they competed.
The Snake is 6th animal on the Chinese Zodiac and the Horse is the 7th. The Snake was a fairly good swimmer and was not worried about crossing the river on the day of the great race. However, after swimming about half way, the Snake became very tired and worried that he might not make it. Instead of panicking, however, he looked up and saw the Horse's legs swimming above him. With a sudden insight, the snake wrapped himself around the Horse's ankle and hitched a ride the rest of the way.
Now, the Horse did not know the Snake had done this. So when the Horse reached the shore, the Snake slithered off--startling the Horse, causing the Horse to jump back. That is why the Snake is before the Horse.
So what does that tell us about the Year of the Horse? The Horse is friendly, helpful and kind to others ( as he helped the Snake out of a bad situation). However, the Horse can be easily excitable and upset--sometimes to his own disadvantage. So, the Year of the Horse is when we must try to be kind and helpful to others and to try not to get let things upset us (especially small things) as our emotions may lead us to unfortunate decisions!
Here's wishing all of us a fortunate and prosperous Year of the Horse!
In celebration, I thought post a small update on the little primer I wrote on the Lunar New Year in 2010. In that post, I explained about Year of the Tiger. Now, let's talk about the Horse:
Q. This is the Year of the Horse! What does that mean?
In my book, THE YEAR OF THE RAT, there is the story of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac, which tells of the great race of the animals to win the the honor of a year named after them. The winning animals had their own characteristics as you can tell by how they they competed.
The Snake is 6th animal on the Chinese Zodiac and the Horse is the 7th. The Snake was a fairly good swimmer and was not worried about crossing the river on the day of the great race. However, after swimming about half way, the Snake became very tired and worried that he might not make it. Instead of panicking, however, he looked up and saw the Horse's legs swimming above him. With a sudden insight, the snake wrapped himself around the Horse's ankle and hitched a ride the rest of the way.
Now, the Horse did not know the Snake had done this. So when the Horse reached the shore, the Snake slithered off--startling the Horse, causing the Horse to jump back. That is why the Snake is before the Horse.
So what does that tell us about the Year of the Horse? The Horse is friendly, helpful and kind to others ( as he helped the Snake out of a bad situation). However, the Horse can be easily excitable and upset--sometimes to his own disadvantage. So, the Year of the Horse is when we must try to be kind and helpful to others and to try not to get let things upset us (especially small things) as our emotions may lead us to unfortunate decisions!
Here's wishing all of us a fortunate and prosperous Year of the Horse!
January 29, 2014
Belated post: the Global School in GA
My whole trip to GA was amazing so it's hard to say that anything was my favorite, but part of my trip there included a school visit to the Global Village School, an all girls school for recently arrived refugee teens (from 11-18). Almost all the students had read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and a handful of them were chosen to introduce me by reading aloud their impressions of the book.
It was one of the most moving things I've ever heard. I was so touched, I asked if I could get a copy of their speech. One girl said:
Seeing the story through their eyes was so humbling and touching. There are times I get caught up in petty things, worrying about booksales and publicity and this is such a heartening reminder of why I try to make the books I do. Who cares if I can't write a big blockbuster book? These girls and the people who connect to my books are the readers that I'm honored and grateful to reach.
At the end of the presentation, they gave me this:
Each girl made a shrinky-dink piece with their name and the words they would chose for their secrets of happiness (some of the words are in another language) and pieced it together to make a jacket like the one Minli received from the Village of Moon Rain. It's tied together with a red thread. It's so, so exquisite.
It has a permanent place of honor on my window in my studio, to remind me how thankful I should be.
It's a beautiful gift, not only as an object, but as a reminder of the other non-tangible gifts they gave me. Thank you, Global Village School!
It was one of the most moving things I've ever heard. I was so touched, I asked if I could get a copy of their speech. One girl said:
I like when Minli runs away from her house and tries to find the Old Man of the Moon and make her village turn into Fruitful Mountain. She is brave like I was when I had to run away from my country because it was not very good there, like Fruitless Mountain.Another girl said:
The part that is special to me is when Minli's village is changed...I want my village to change like that too because my village where I used to live when I was a kid was so poor.And this one made me teary:
I like the part when Minli came back to her family and her Ma and Ba welcome her with happiness. This part is special to me because I don't want to separate with my family anymore.
Seeing the story through their eyes was so humbling and touching. There are times I get caught up in petty things, worrying about booksales and publicity and this is such a heartening reminder of why I try to make the books I do. Who cares if I can't write a big blockbuster book? These girls and the people who connect to my books are the readers that I'm honored and grateful to reach.
At the end of the presentation, they gave me this:
Each girl made a shrinky-dink piece with their name and the words they would chose for their secrets of happiness (some of the words are in another language) and pieced it together to make a jacket like the one Minli received from the Village of Moon Rain. It's tied together with a red thread. It's so, so exquisite.
It has a permanent place of honor on my window in my studio, to remind me how thankful I should be.
It's a beautiful gift, not only as an object, but as a reminder of the other non-tangible gifts they gave me. Thank you, Global Village School!
January 28, 2014
Belated Post: On the Same Page in GA
After Albany, we were flying out to GA for an event called On the Same Page, mainly organized by the incredible Little Shop of Stories Bookstore. When I was first contacted about this event, I actually tried to weasel out. I don't like to travel in the winter and also after being in Taiwan, I thought we'd probably could use a break. But then my publisher told that this was a huge honor and I really shouldn't decline, and I reconsidered. And I am SO glad that I did!
Because On the Same Page is a community read program in Decatur, GA-- and they were reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon! They created an amazing 3-month program of activities and events all around the book:
with me, at the end, coming to some schools:
as well as a huge grand finale event:
with lions, both big:
and little:
singing:
and acting!
Synchronicity Theater in Atlanta, GA is putting on a performance Where the Mountain Meets the Moon! At the event, they gave us a sneak peak. The real show starts February 7th, buy your tickets now and then tell me how it went!
Because even without costumes and sets, I was entranced! The whole night was amazing. To see a packed audience and so many wonderful creations inspired from a book I wrote...well, it sometimes there aren't enough adjectives. I've said this before, but it's completely true--the saddest thing for an author is to write something that you've put your whole heart into and realize that no one cares. So when the opposite happens, it is a realization of your happiest dream.
Thank you so much, On the Same Page and Little Shop of Stories for making this author's dream come true!
Because On the Same Page is a community read program in Decatur, GA-- and they were reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon! They created an amazing 3-month program of activities and events all around the book:
with me, at the end, coming to some schools:
as well as a huge grand finale event:
with lions, both big:
and little:
singing:
and acting!
Synchronicity Theater in Atlanta, GA is putting on a performance Where the Mountain Meets the Moon! At the event, they gave us a sneak peak. The real show starts February 7th, buy your tickets now and then tell me how it went!
Because even without costumes and sets, I was entranced! The whole night was amazing. To see a packed audience and so many wonderful creations inspired from a book I wrote...well, it sometimes there aren't enough adjectives. I've said this before, but it's completely true--the saddest thing for an author is to write something that you've put your whole heart into and realize that no one cares. So when the opposite happens, it is a realization of your happiest dream.
Thank you so much, On the Same Page and Little Shop of Stories for making this author's dream come true!
