She’s an illustrator and an author. She has written picture books, books for early readers, books for late elementary kids, and keepsake books. She won a Newbery Honor in 2010 for her book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and a Geisel Honor (an award named for Theodore Seuss Geisel) in 2011 for her book Ling and Ting. She tours schools, encourages creativity, and, as you can already see, is an amazing dynamo of talent. And, she will be here at Lemuria this Thursday!

As I write this blog, we are on the cusp of the new Chinese New Year, the year of the rabbit. One of my favorite books of Lin’s is Bringing in the New Year. I remember a child, celebrating Chinese New Year in school, but the traditions we acknowledged were more like our American new year than a real Chinese new year. In this picture book, Grace Lin sheds light on customs the Chinese practice at the start of a new year.

If you’re looking for a book that’s for an older child, or a book to read from every night, look no further than Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Beautifully written and illustrated, this is the story of a girl who goes on an adventure to change her family’s fortune, only to find she doesn’t need to change it. Grace weaves Chinese folklore throughout this novel to create a unique and touching story. This is the kind of book that not only catches a child (or parent’s) attention with its full color illustrations and holds it with the engaging story. Several people, myself included, have been reading it in preparation of meeting Grace and I have heard nothing but exclamations of happiness about this book.

And for those kids just learning to read Ling and Ting is such a perfect fit. Much like Dicamillo and McGhee’s Bink and Gollie, this book is a little smaller than a picture book in height and has three stories much like chapters. Ling and Ting are identical twins, but they are not the same. Each story shows a way their personalities are different. With Lin’s same bright illustrations, this book is sure to become a classic early reader book.

Come meet this amazing children’s writer and illustrator on the first day of the Year of the Rabbit, Thursday, February 3rd at 5:00. We can’t wait to see you there!

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