Win a Pocket Pacy!

Here is the Pocket Pacy giveaway I've been promising!

Even with the great turn-out at the launch, I have a dozen Pocket Pacys left! Would you like one? You can win one by simply telling me what journey YOU would like bring Pocket Pacy on! Simply download the Pocket Pacy Activity Page and do the activity. The activity is very simple-- finish the sentence on the page ("I would bring Pocket Pacy to...") and draw background around her. Here's an example:

Before

after

See! Easy and fun, right? Download the activity sheet HERE.

Then, send me your finished activity sheet scanned or photographed by e-mail at:
gracelin.manager@gmail.com

OR send it to me via snail mail at:

Grace Lin
PO Box 441457
West Somerville, MA 02144-1457

I will choose 3 winners a month until July 1st. Let your imagination go wild--if you win, you don't really have to take Pocket Pacy on the trip you draw! I can't wait to see where you want to take her!

Additional info:
Winners will be chose by random drawing (the entries have been so great, I can't decide so I'm putting names in a hat!) and are announced at the end of the month here on this blog and on my newsletter.

booktalk tuesday

The Railway Children, by Edith Nesbit

IndieBound Description:
When Father goes away unexpectedly, Roberta, Peter, Phyllis, and their mother have to leave their happy life in London for a small cottage in the country. The children seek solace in the nearby railway station, and make friends with Perks the Porter and the Station Master himself. But the mystery remains: where Father, and will he ever return?

My Thoughts:
I just recently read this book and really liked it! I'd never read any E.Nesbit books before and I'll have to read more. It is definitely a nostalgic book, capturing kids of that time & culture. I don't think any modern, American children would every docilely accept the mother's request to not ask any questions why their father had been taken away (as well as not do their own investigation).  But I think back then, kids accepted that adults had their own world that did not effect theirs...

on my desk monday

Covering my desk today is a lovely gift from a school I recently visited. I was given a box of wishes--good luck hopes & dreams for upcoming Rain Dragon by the students. I had a grand time reading them:

The Sasquatch, a big soccer fan, especially liked this one:

I wish that your baby likes to play soccer!

I think this is from a future teacher:

I hope your baby makes good friends ang gets a good education.

It's a tough job market out there for babies, so I'm sure Rain Dragon will appreciate this:

I hope your baby gets a good job.

This ranked high with me:

I hope she gets along with you.

But this one is probably my favorite:

I hope when your baby gets older she will read your books.

I hope she does too! Thanks so much for your good wishes, students!

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!

Today's word is:
hat
màozi
帽子

interview

Last summer (pre-baby bulge!), I participated in an Asian American Author Series of interviews for Primary Source. Other authors in the series include the lovely Mitali Perkins, Jean Kwok and GB Tran. Here is a excerpt of one of my interview (you can see more here):




I actually had forgotten what I had said about the "Little House" books until recently. But even though "Ma hating Indians" made me feel insecure about my own racial identity, I wouldn't have them censor out Ma's hatred, now. I didn't like it, but it was true sentiment and one that showed how even good people could believe/feel things that weren't right. When I began to witness different kinds of racism--Asians against Blacks, Chinese against Japanese, Asian-Americans against Asians-- that sometimes originated from people I trusted and loved,  books like "Little House" set the groundwork for me to realize that what the adults around me thought weren't always the right things to think, especially when it came to things like race.

fortune cookie friday

"If you can't change your fate, change your attitude."
-Chinese Proverb

dragons and dogs in Georgia

The weather in New England has been mild--not that much snow--but rather grey. So when my recent visit to sunny Atlanta GA was quite nice. But that was also because of the  lovely students, librarians and teachers I met there, too!  I taught the students how to draw dragons:

But, they seemed to already have a lot of artistic skill already, as evidenced by all the creative projects they did with my books:

yes, the baby belly is starting to bulge!

I particularly enjoyed this project. Students chose an animal they would include in the Chinese zodiac and why. I'd go for the Year of the Platypus, wouldn't you?

And they also drew their preferred dim sum! I like the "spagetee."

At another GA school, I discovered Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is on the Georgia Book Award List! Neat!

And one grade decorated a corner of the school for me, complete with lanterns and dragons!

Is it me, or does my belly look like it doubled in size in one day?

I taught this group how to draw a dog...and I was sent back home with a rainbow of them:

A little bit of GA brightness in New England! Thanks, so much GA students!

booktalk tuesday

Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfeild

IndieBound Description:

In the tradition of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Little Princess come Noel Streatfeild’s tales of triumph. In this story, three orphan girls vow to make a name for themselves and find their own special talents. With hard work, fame just may be in the stars! Originally published in 1937.

My Thoughts:
Noel Streatfeild is one of my favorite authors, right up there with Lucy Maud Montgomery. I loved all the "Shoes" books and this new, beautiful  covers are done by uber-talented friend Alissa Imre Geis.

on my desk monday

So this is another new experience...books ABOUT me vs by me! Yes, it's a Grace Lin biography! I got a sneak peek of this book during my school visit in Bristol, but I was happily surprised to receive some copies from the publisher recently.

I'm so honored to be a part of this author biography series! When my friend Janet Wong had a similar book  (by a different publisher) produced about her, I was in awe. I remember thinking, "I guess that is when you know you've made it!" Which is why I  am having a hard time now believing there is a book about me.   In this series,  am along side such amazing authors such as Jeff Kinney and Christopher Paul Curtis! Pinch me!

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!

Today's word is:
mittens
shǒutào
手套

fortune cookie friday

"A life with love is happy; a life for love is foolish."
-Chinese Proverb

#26!

I am so completely thrilled that Where the Mountain Meets the Moon was listed on the The 100 "Greatest Books for Kids," ranked by Scholastic Parent & Child magazine. #26! Right underneath "The Giver" by Lois Lowry! What an honor.

more pocket pacys!

A little valentine for me--a Pocket Pacy sighting!!  I ♥ this:

Pocket Pacy at Porter Square Eatery in Cambridge.The Pictures in Dumpling Days were carefully studied before using chopsticks!

booktalk tuesday

Chocolate Fever, by Robert Kimmel Smith
Description: Henry loves chocolate so much, it practically runs through his veins. Chocolate cake, chocolate cereal, chocolate syrup, chocolate milk, and chocolate cookies—and that’s just breakfast! Still, it comes as a shock when he suddenly breaks out in chocolaty brown spots and is diagnosed with . . . Chocolate Fever. And, rather than be poked and prodded by doctors, Henry runs away, starting the adventure of a lifetime. But at the end of it all, the question remains: Is there a cure for Chocolate Fever?

My thoughts:

I thought this would be a fun read for Valentine's Day--what is the day without chocolate? This is a fun book, a light lesson on the dangers of excess!

on my desk monday

In the most recent issue of Storyworks Magazine,  there is a story written and illustrated by me!  It's a little story about a girl who would rather play jazz instead of classical music at her  piano recital. The paper piano from Year of the Dog also makes a cameo.

I also got a big kick on the author spotlight they did that accompanied the story:

What a thrill!

Sunday Chinese School

After a brief vacation, Sunday Chinese School back in session! Welcome! Here, we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!

Today's word is:
Valentine's Day
qíngrén jié
情人节

Pocket Pacy sightings!

The Special EditionPocket Pacys that I gave away at my Dumpling Days Book Launch are starting to pop up! These photos were accompanied by a lovely article published in the Back Bay & Somerville Patch! The article made me blush and I loved these photos!

fortune cookie friday

"An old man in love is like a flower in winter. "
-Chinese Proverb

drawing dragons

I've been alternating my furious work on STARRY RIVER with school visits. One of my favorite things  to do at my visits is the "draw-a-long," where I teach the students how to draw either a dog (from Year of the Dog) or a Chinese New Year decoration. It's always a lot of fun  and these past years, I've gotten good at showing students how to draw tigers and rabbits. However, with this year being the Year of the Dragon I was a little worried that a dragon drawing might be a bit much.

But it's been working out great! Don't these look like lucky dragons?

 Well, I feel lucky!

booktalk tuesday

Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis

IndieBound Description:

A Celebration of the First Edition!

They open a door and enter a world. NARNIA ... the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy ... the place where the adventure begins. Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the Professor's mysterious old house. At first, no one believes her when she tells of her adventures in the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund and then Peter and Susan discover the magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. In the blink of an eye, their lives are changed forever. Enter this enchanted world countless times in The Chronicles of Narnia.

My Thoughts:
This is my favorite of the Narnia books (some of the latter ones bothered me because of how the unlikeable people of Calormen were of a veiled Asian culture, and don't even get me started on "The Last Battle!"). But this one is charming without any reservations.

on my desk monday

And it's the finished manuscript of STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY!!! Eeks! It's almost a book!

I am racing to finish the art for it. The release date of Oct. 2012 has been set in stone for a while (even though Dumpling Days just came out, that book was finished a while ago--they held back the release of Dumpling Days for Chinese New Year) and I have to hurry now to finish STARRY RIVER.  But even though the deadline is getting very close, I still refuse to let this book be less than my best. Unfortunately, this means everything else is getting neglected until I reach the end. sigh. Thank goodness for understanding Sasquatches!

fortune cookie friday

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. "
–Dalai Lama

Thanks again, Fourth Graders!

As I mentioned on Monday, I've been visiting a Wellesley school for many years now. I visit the Fourth Graders in the spring with my "Behind the Year of the Dog" presentation. They usually know Year of the Dog very well as they read, pick sections and create great storyboards of it. Year after year, I am always so impressed!

Here are some from this year:

Talented bunch, huh? I hope I am lucky enough to see a new batch next year!