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Hello! Happy Holidays...or it will be very, very soon! Even though the pandemic has made this holiday season more complicated and much quieter, I've been determined to find things to be grateful for and to celebrate. And surprisingly, I've found a great many things! I hope it is the same for you, too.
To get your holidays off to good start, I made a little video sharing part of chapter 27 of my part memoir, part novel The Year of the Dog. The chapter is called "American Holidays the Chinese Way," and I hope makes you smile! |
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For Your Holiday Shopping!
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I've reopened my etsy shop just for this holiday season! The last time it was open was four years ago, so if there was a print you had your eye on from long ago...now's your chance! (and not to do the hard sell, but best to take it as I'm not sure how long I will keep the shop up for).
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The new print, titled "Alice Began to Read" |
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Activities for the Season!
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The weather is getting unpleasant now and if you are like me, you are spending more time indoors. Also, if you are like me, you are also spending more time trying to find things for kids to do that is not online! Here are a few suggestions!
For the younger set:
My Storytelling Math board books are now available! These books combine math, diverse characters and a story all in one! Conceived with the assistance of TERC to diversify STEM, these books are showing our youngest kids that math is fun, everyday and for everyone. Pretty cool, right?
So, show your young ones (or even older ones) some math fun. There are activity guides for each book, but here's a bit from the one for The Last Marshmallow:
Olivia and Mei discover sometimes sharing fairly can be a challenge!
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If one child ends up with one marshmallow and the other with two, they know it's not fair, even if they can't count yet! When children find ways to share, they begin to develop real-world understanding of division
"More, Less, or Same?"
1. Fill a small bowl with large beads in two colors. (Pompoms, beans, or other small objects work, too.) 2. Ask children to take a handful. 3. Wonder together about whether you have more of one color. 4. Help children match the beads up to check.
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Enjoy the other three books in the series:
You'll find activity guides for each book at my website!
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And I'm still working! I've been painting away on a new picturebook-- the one that was inspired by that new print that is in my etsy shop! It's very slow going, but I think it's going to be worth it! Right now it is called "Once Upon a Story" (it may change) and will probably come out in 2022 (I told you it was going slow!). Here's a sneak peak:
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So proud to see that this exhibit I co-curated with Jarrett J. Krosoczka is now online!
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" Co-curators Grace Lin and Jarrett J. Krosoczka honor childhood creativity in the exhibition Now & Then, in which they display artists' childhood drawings next to their published illustrations."
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I've been working on some home improvements...on my Little Free Library! I made a book-themed stepping stone and have planted a garden! While I was planting my spring bulbs, I thought it was a poetic pairing-- how both the books and I were planting seeds!
Also, it makes me so happy that my book is on one of their recommended book lists (it makes me feel better about stocking my library with my own books!). Learn more at Littlefreelibrary.org!
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Trees and wreaths are decorated with charm and inspiration from acclaimed children's books. Family Trees will be celebrated from November 25, 2020 through January 3, 2021.
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I have a Brand-new website! My old one was...old. It definitely need a bit of a refresh so I am so
glad that Mira T. Creative took it on! Didn't she do a beautiful job? She made my books look so good! I highly suggest her for anyone looking for a new site. Thanks, Mira!
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The Kids Ask Authors podcast would like to welcome you to their Patreon page! Please consider becoming a member to help support the podcast.
Kids Ask Authors is a weekly 5-10 minute podcast. Most episodes will end with a book review, poem, short story or a joke by kids! This podcast is a way to get kids who may not get to hear an author in real life a taste of the experience-and hopefully encourage them on their own creative journey!
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Alvina and I took a couple of weeks off around the election time to sort out some recordings. We apologize for the interruption but we're back with a new episode this week! There will be some upcoming changes to the podcast as we think about where we want the podcast to go from here. We'll be sending out a survey soon for listener suggestions! Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode!
As usual, we catch up on our lives and share what we are grateful for!
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From the Kids Ask Authors podcast, I know kids always want to know about authors' pets (often just assuming we have lots of cats)!
So as a part of my virtual school visit presentations, I introduce students to my chickens! Unfortunately, the chickens were not cooperative about being brought into the studio, so I decided to make a little movie instead. And, of course, my daughter wanted to be a part of it!
Want to see it? Click on the image below to get a peak at our chicken video!
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That's it! It's getting cold out there, but it's still beautiful. I hope we can say the same for our own holiday season! Wishing you a warm and happy holiday, and see you in the New Year!
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