On Friday, October 21st, the First Program Library was thrilled to host Grace Lin! Grace Lin is an award winning author and illustrator for children and has over 20 published books. Her work spans picture books, “I Can Read” books and novels. Grace grew up in upstate New York and aside from her two sisters, she was the only Asian-American student in her school for most of her elementary school years. As she grew older, Grace learned to appreciate her Chinese culture and began incorporating characteristics from Eastern art and myths into her work.
For Kindergarten and First Grade students, Grace created an interactive presentation which demonstrated “How a Book is Made,” taking students through the process from first sketches to a finished product. Students were excited to volunteer, reading lines and giving advice as her Editor, Designer and Printers. Her presentation with the 2nd and 3rd grade students focused on the myths that inspired her Newbery Honor award-winning book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, which 2nd graders have been reading during their library classes. Student volunteers donned costumes and played roles in Chinese folklore in a reader’s theater play!
In our continuing efforts to promote equity and diversity in school and in literature, Grace’s visit marks the first time the First Program Library has hosted an Asian-American author, who almost exclusively features Asian and Asian-Americans as the main characters in all of her stories. Students K-2 have been particularly delighted with her books series featuring the Asian-American twins, Ling and Ting, which First Program Librarians Maria and Lynn have been reading with students in preparation for Grace Lin’s visit. Growing up, Grace was disheartened to find that few (if any) fictional characters in books looked like her or her family, which is why she makes a strong effort to fill her books with vibrant and colorful paintings of Asian and Asian-American children. Students who are familiar with Asian-American culture were proud to feel represented and eagerly shared language and stories with their classmates, while students unfamiliar with Asian-Americans in literature were given a wonderful window into their classmates stories and international folklore.
3rd Grade student Sophie S. was so inspired by Grace Lin’s visit, that she eagerly wrote, “Grace didn’t just give us ‘author tips’ like many other visiting authors who come to First Program. I thought it was really unique that not only did she talk about her books, but she gave information about her family, her Asian background, and she taught us how to draw a Chinese luck dragon. Grace Lin is an amazing author and more people should check out her books!”
We could not be happier with Grace Lin’s visit. And, don’t forget, the book fair is taking place on Nov. 7th and 8th and will feature many of Grace Lin’s autographed books!
