fortune cookie friday

"Even from such a well-sealed thing as an egg, a chicken is hatched."
-Chinese Proverb

orchard house

Spring is here! To celebrate, I ventured out and saw something that has been long on my "to do" list. I went to Orchard House!


Orchard House? What is that, you ask? Does this help?


Yes, it was the home of Louisa May Alcott, the author of one of my most memorable childhood books, Little Women!

I live only 40 minutes away from this historical site, but until this spring I had never visited. Now I no longer have to hang my head in shame.

It was a great fun. I admit don't love Little Women as much as I love Anne of Green Gables (my trip to PEI does still rank a bit higher) but it was rather awe-inspiring to be walking through the same rooms where such classic literature had been written.

They didn't allow any photos to be taken in the house, but in the gift shop they did sell..Graces! To be honest, I'm not sure what these were, exactly.

And I did get to peek into the Concord School of Philosophy, established by Mr. Alcott who had some good ideas (like schools should have recess) and some wacky ones (like trying to exist on only plants that reached to the sky--so it went beyond vegan, no potatoes or carrots--the family had to almost starve before he gave that one up):
But of course it was Louisa May and the parallels of her life and Little Women that interested me the most. Our guide was quite knowledgeable and everything she told us was fascinating.

For example, all the characters of Little Women were based on Louisa May's family. However, she changed all the names (even her own for, of course Jo was based on herself) except for Beth. Beth had already died when Louisa wrote Little Women and she couldn't bear to write her differently. She wanted the character of Beth to be as exactly as she remembered her sister, name and all.

The other thing I found gratifying was the real life story of the character of Amy, based on Louisa's sister May. I've had issues with Amy, (probably because I felt she was the sister I had the most in common with) and it was nice to hear that all the money and effort that the family poured into May's art education was not in vain.

She never became a great master artist of her own name (the first edition of Little Women was illustrated by her but received negative reviews), but she was the teacher and the key reason that Daniel Chester French became an artist and sculptor. According to the guide, everyone thought Daniel Chester French was a loser but May stepped in and said he was an artist and taught him...the tools he used to sculpt Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial were the ones May Alcott gave to him.

Pretty neat, huh?

All in all, it was a great time and the perfect way to spend a spring day! Go if you have the chance.

Now I'm off to reread my copy of Little Women...

booktalk tuesday

The Wizard of OZ by Frank L. Baum

IndieBound Description:
"Follow the yellow brick road!"

Since it first appeared in 1900, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has brought joy to generations. In it, a girl's dream world comes to life as the cyclone lifts Dorothy from Kansas, depositing her in the enchanted land of the Munchkins. H ere she meets the famous Oz characters: the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, the Cowardly Lion, and the Wicked Witch of the West. Her adventures along the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City and the Wizard himself evoke the rich, universal appeal of a classic fairy tale.

My Thoughts: Well, anyone who has read my book The Year of the Dog probably knows that I have always dreamt of being Dorothy. But strangely, even with this fixation I didn't set out to make a "Chinese Wizard of Oz" when I wrote Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. It was actually inspired by a Chinese folktale called "Olive Lake" which is much older than the Wizard of Oz. Perhaps both Frank Baum and I were inspired by the same tale!

on my desk monday

Gifts from a school I visited in Chicago! I couldn't fit them in my luggage so I left them with my sister in Chicago for her to mail to me and I just got them (she gets busy). The gifts are Where the Mountain Meets the Moon-themed--the vase has a fish and the wind-chime is made of chinese copper coins and red threads!

Don't forget to enter the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon paperback celebration drawing! You can win a free art print of your choice from my etsy store just by e-mailing gracelin.manager @gmail.com. And to accommodate KidsBuzz Readers, I've just extended the entry deadline April 27th! Read here for more details.

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:
bird
niǎo

IndieBound Bestseller List!

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is #9 on the IndieBound Bestseller List this week!

9 is a lucky Chinese number signifying longevity so I'm hoping it's a good sign...

Don't forget to enter the paperback celebration contest! You can win a free print of your choice from my etsy store just by e-mailing gracelin.manager @gmail.com. And to accommodate KidsBuzz Readers, I've just extended the entry deadline April 27th! Read here for more details.

fortune cookie friday

"A bird can roost but on one branch, a mouse can drink not more than its fill from a river."
-Chinese Proverb

School Visit Photo Album, Ohio

Recently, I've been blessed with a run of amazing school visits.
The latest schools were in Lima and Finlay, OH. Both schools did incredible jobs preparing the students. Even though I was a bit fatigued, the energy of the students carried me through. First they welcomed me with Lissy and some origami friends (from Lissy's Friends):

Some students compared Ling and Ting to themselves:

And one grade picked their favorite Seasons:

(summer seemed to be the big winner in the popularity contest)

Fourth graders illustrated scenes from The Year of the Dog:

And, inspired by Thanking the Moon, one class wrote their secret wishes:

I love this one, I wanted to be a unicorn too when I was a kid!

This display had me a little confused. I didn't remember doing a book about fans.

But then I read the sign:
Ha ha!

they say the camera adds ten pounds

When I arrived at my hotel room in Ohio, this was waiting for me:

Boxes of books that needed to be signed for the next day's visit! There were so many of them! I was happy to sign them, but when I began the clock said:

And when I finished the clock said:
Which is why I am so haggard looking HERE!


Edited to add: I just noticed that the clip of me on the news may have been deleted (here's the text excerpt). I guess I must have looked THAT bad!

booktalk tuesday

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective
By Donald J. Sobol
IndieBound Description:
Leroy Brown, aka Encyclopedia Brown, is Idaville neighborhood's ten-year-old star detective. With an uncanny knack for trivia, he solves mysteries for the neighborhood kids through his own detective agency. But his dad also happens to be the chief of the Idaville police department, and every night around the dinner table, Encyclopedia helps him solve his most baffling crimes. And with ten confounding mysteries in each book, not only does Encyclopedia have a chance to solve them, but the reader is given all the clues as well. Interactive and chock full of interesting bits of information--it's classic Encyclopedia Brown!


My Thoughts: Another childhood favorite! I have a shelf of these books, bought fairly recently but still enough in the past that the cover does not look like the one above!
I bought them a couple of years ago when I harbored dreams of writing a mystery series. I put that idea on the backburner when I realized that the idea I had was pretty similar to the Hannah West series that are being published. Oh well, maybe someday!