Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

Another food scene from Dragonwings by Laurence Yep (HarperTrophy, 1977): At any rate, White Deer outdid himself that day. He made duck with the skin parted and crisped and the meat salty and rich and good. He had cooked squab in soy sauce so that the skin and meat were a deep, deep brown all the way to the bone. There was shark's-fin soup, tasting of the sea. There were huge prawns fried in a special batter that gave them an extra fluffy coat. And on and on. But we weren't allowed to touch any of the courses until we had the toasts.

I. Am. Giddy. Filipino artist, designer, and illustrator Isabel Roxas is in the house, ladies and gentlemen! There aren't enough positive adjectives (charming, adorable, delightful. . .) or enough positive descriptions (they draw you in, they warm your heart, they tickle you, they make you happy. . .) for Isabel's children's book illustrations. Check out her website to see for yourself. =D Isabel has very kindly answered questions about her work below! What motivates you to illustrate children's books? I really enjoy drawing raucous/goofy scenes, obscure animals, little kids playing under the moonlight—experiences that I lived through, or wish I did. I draw for MY own enjoyment, and fortunately for me, the pictures I like to create are suited to the task of creating a children’s book. I was a voracious reader growing up (and still am), so I am happy to have a hand in encouraging young people to have that wonderful experience of being deeply and fully engrossed in a st...

A food scene from Dragonwings by Laurence Yep (HarperTrophy, 1977): There were men in long narrow stalls set against the sides of buildings who sold toys and different candies--one a type of sweet but hot-tasting, candied ginger that was a bright orange-red in color. There were dried fruits that you could buy--sweet, semi-sweet, or salty. These you sucked inside your mouth till all the flavor was gone, and then you stripped the moistened meat away from the seed. There were apricot candies pressed flat into wafers; thin, white, curled strips of coconut candy; several kinds of disclike rice cookies; and so on.

Congratulations to Grace Lin for winning a 2011 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor for Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010). And congratulations to Margi Preus for winning a 2011 John Newbery Honor for Heart of a Samurai (Amulet Books, 2010).

Stay tuned for my blog post on Escaping the Tiger by Laura Manivong (HarperCollins, 2010)!