Throughout May, the Center for Global Education at Asia Society, in partnership with Holiday House Publishing presents Stories of Heritage: Asian American Voices in Children's Literature an #ownvoices reading series that spotlights the work of Asian American children’s book authors.

 A young boy, who recently arrived from Korea, finds a glorious plum tree in his new backyard. It reminds him of a tree his family had back home, and he names it "Plumee" for the deep purple plums on its branches. Whenever the boy is homesick, he knows he can take shelter in Plumee's tall branches. And when a storm brings the old tree down, he and his friends have all kinds of adventures on its branches, as it becomes a dragon, a treehouse, and a ship in their imaginations. But soon it's time to say goodbye when the remains of the tree are taken away. Before long, a new plum tree is planted, new blossoms bloom, and a new friendship takes root. A South Korean immigrant herself, Hope Lim brings her perspective on the struggle for child immigrants to feel at home to bear through spare, poetic text, perfectly matched by soft, lyrical illustrations by Korean artist Il Sung Na.

Join acclaimed children’s book author Hope Lim as she reads from My Tree, followed by an artistic demonstration provided by renowned illustrator, Il Sung Na.

Other readings in this series include:

Sunday Funday in Koreatown, written and illustrated by Aram Kim

Watercress, written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin 

Purchase your copy of all of the books we will feature in this series at Yu and Me Books! 

Speakers 

Hope Lim is a children's book author from South Korea and now lives in San Francisco with her family. Hope has always loved language. She majored in English Literature and earned a Master's degree in Conference Interpretation. For many years, she navigated the world of diplomats, working as an interpreter for the US State Department. Then motherhood ushered her into the world of children's literature, where she discovered the power of picture books, which transcends time, place, and language. Now, Lim continues her love of language by reading with her two children and writing stories, often inspired by them.

Il Sung Na grew up in Korea and now lives in Kansas City, where he teaches illustration. In 2001, he moved to London to pursue a BFA in illustration and animation at Kingston University, where he discovered a passion for children's books. His books include Welcome Home Bear: A Book of Animal Habitats, A Book of Sleep, and Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit: A Book of Changing Seasons.

Partners 

Holiday House publishes timeless books for young readers. We strive to carry on the legacy of a prestigious and award-winning catalog of books by fostering meaningful relationships with our creators. We publish enlightening, educational, and entertaining books while promoting a culture of excellence, independence, growth, and adaptability. We are committed to maintaining the trust we have established with our community of booksellers, educators, librarians, parents, and caregivers through years of producing quality books.