In this episode, I talk with New York Times bestselling author Eva Chen and illustrator Sophie Diao about their picture book I Am Golden, a moving ode to the immigrant experience, as well as a manifesto of self-love for Chinese American children.

Eva Chen is a first-generation Chinese-American who grew up in New York City. She blames her deviation from pre-med at Johns Hopkins University on a love of fashion and beauty instilled in her by her mother, whose perfect bob and lipstick made a permanent imprint on her impressionable young mind. Previously the editor-in-chief of Lucky, Eva has also written for ELLE, Vogue, Teen Vogue, Vogue China, the New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. She is currently the head of fashion partnerships at Instagram, where she is guilty of the occasional duck-face selfie. Eva lives in New York City with her husband and two children. She is the author of Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes, A Is for Awesome, and Juno Valentine and the Fantastic Fashion Adventure.

Sophie Diao is an artist in San Francisco. As research for the book Sarah and the Big Wave, she surfed a wave that she's pretty sure was over one foot tall. She loves illustrating natural wonders and is the talent behind many a Google Doodle.

Order a copy of I Am Golden on Bookshop.org or Amazon.

Visit Eva Chen at https://www.instagram.com/evachen212/.

Visit Sophie Diao at https://www.sophiediao.com/.

Resources:

Chinese Tomato Egg Stir-fry: https://thewoksoflife.com/stir-fried-tomato-and-egg/.

Scholastic Book Club: https://clubs.scholastic.com/.

Books of Wonder: https://booksofwonder.com/.

Book Con and Book Expo: https://www.bookexpoamerica.com/.

Transcription:

You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review.

Discussion Topics:

A story summary of I Am Golden.
Asian-American Identity
Asian-American Hate Crimes
All about I Am Golden
Creating the book cover artwork
The author and illustrator collaboration
Becoming readers.

Bianca with Eva Chen and Sophie Diao on I Am Golden