 KLiC: What was your inspiration for JEONG IS JEONG? JY: I was reading the novel Babel by R.F. Kuang, and the book's magic system is based on the premise that there is no such thing as a perfect translation between languages. It made me think about how even as a kid who was most comfortable speaking English, I would still use certain Korean words when talking with family members. Even at a young age, I recognized that there weren't always equivalent words in English. It made me curious if there were any picture books that explored this idea, and I started thinking about what Korean words I would want to write about. KLiC: Did you do research for JEONG IS JEONG? If so, what kind? JY: I researched a number of uniquely Korean concepts before landing on jeong. In fact, as a Korean American who isn't completely fluent in Korean, I wasn't familiar with the word until working on this book! When I read about jeong, it was a total aha! moment. It was a concept that I knew in my bones and was now finally able to name. After I wrote the manuscript, I had my parents read it to make sure they felt I was accurately representing the spirit of jeong. I also researched comp titles. I wanted to: 1) see if picture books about words in other languages had been done before and 2) ensure I wasn't writing something too similar. I came across a number of lovely picture books, including Eleven Words for Love by Randa Abdel-fattah and Maxine Beneba Clarke, I Am You: A Book about Ubuntu by Refiloe Moahloli and Zinelda McDonald, and Namaste Is a Greeting by Suma Subramaniam and Sandhya Prabhat.  KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in the book? JY: Michelle Lee's art is full of warmth, love, and so much jeong! I truly adore every page, but if I had to pick favorites, it would be the endpapers. There are so many little details to discover. And you'll definitely want to compare the front and back versions because Michelle did something really fun in the design! Also, I'm going to cheat and name one other thing that I thought was completely brilliant. As the main character Luna learns what jeong means, Michelle has the Korean characters in the background of one spread transform into the Romanization of jeong. Seeing Michelle capture the idea of translation within the illustrations in that way was really magical. What's the one thing you want children to take away from your book? Jeong is a word that I hope will resonate with kids (and their grown-ups!) and spur them into action. In its simplest form, jeong represents the stickiness of relationships, all the big and small things that bond us over time. Particularly today, when the world is so polarized, sharing jeong feels more important than ever.  Jessica Yoon is a Korean American author from Philadelphia (Go Birds!). Her current and forthcoming books include BLACKPINK: A Little Golden Book Biography, Jeong Is Jeong, Kpop Demon Hunters: The Deluxe Junior Novelization, and The Legend of Ban-Dal. She is a member of the Harrisburg Asian Writers Collective and a recipient of the Highlights Foundation’s Anti-Bias Book Bearer Scholarship. When not writing, Jessica enjoys Pilates, spicy food, and spending time with her husband, two kids, and dog. You can find her online at jessicayoon.com, on Instagram, and Substack.
 Photo by Dr. Kasumi Yamazaki  We are excited to interview Aya Khalil, co-founder of Kidlit in Color, about her latest picture book, Ramadan for Everyone. Read below. KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? AK: Ramadan for Everyone is a companion book to my other picture book, The Night Before Eid. In the summer of 2023, my editor at Little, Brown/Christy Ottaviano, Jessica Anderson, and I brainstormed ideas for a second book and we both loved this idea of two sisters observing Ramadan but one struggles a bit. This was my tightest picture book deadline, though, so I had a few weeks to draft and send it to my critique partners who were giving me feedback the day I sent it to them! We went back and forth a few times and then I sent it to Jessica. We went through some edits together and then it went through acquisitions and got acquired! She's a brilliant editor and I am so glad I worked with her again and Rashin got to do the illustrations once more. KLiC: What kind of research did you do for Ramadan for Everyone? AK: I did A LOT of research! This picture book has more religious aspects that The Night Before Eid because Ramadan is a religious holiday for Muslims! I wanted vey accurate information so I consulted a Muslim religious leader, Imam A.R. Chao and he was very thorough with feedback. Although I am an observant Muslim, when you're writing picture books, the text not only has to be factually accurate, but also relevant to young children and it was a bit challenging because of the Islamic terms like taqwa had to be explained really well but also simple for children. I ended up adding lot of back matter to further explain more complex terms in details. KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in the book? AK: There's a few that I absolutely love, but the spread with baba and his two daughters in the car is my absolutely favorite for several reasons. Arab and Muslim men are often vilified in the media and I wanted to make sure this baba really stands out as a caring, loving, compassionate, Arab and Muslim father who loves his daughters. He's very involved; he's a professional chef and makes them the best food during Ramadan and his daughters love to help him. This is actually the norm in many Arab households! It's a peaceful and wholesome moment in the car where it's sunset, Habeeba is happy about her accomplishment and baba is encouraging and kind. It reminds me of drives to and from the masjid with my dad and sister; even his outfit is similar to what my dad wears! KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? Ramadan is a special months for Muslims and Muslim children of all ages can participate! I hope Muslim kids feel seen of course and that this book is highlighted during the month so they can relate. I hope kids of all faiths learn something about Muslims and Ramadan. I also hope adults who are Muslims enjoy it because growing up I never had these books, so I wrote this book for us too. KLiC: What’s next for you? I am so excited for my board that I co-wrote with one of my best friends, Bayan Lahham, to come out this fall. It's called A Party of Colors and it's about a child and his dad going through a car wash, but it's the child's first time and seeing it through his eyes is so fun! It's illustrated by Olivia Asser and published by Charlesbridge and their partnership with STEAMWORKS. Aya Khalil is an award-winning author. She holds a master’s degree in Education with a focus in teaching English as a second Language. Aya and her books have been featured in Oprah Daily, Washington Post, Teen Vogue, Yahoo!, Book Riot and USA Today. Her writing has been published in The Huffington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, Toledo Area Parent and many others. Aya’s picture books and board books have won numerous awards and honors including The Arab American Book Award and NCTE’s Charlotte Huck Award. Learn more at www.ayakhalil.com   We are thrilled to interview Dr. Seema Yasmin today about her first book in her upcoming nonfiction chapter book series, Maysoon Zayid The Girl Who Can Can. Kidlit in Color: What was your inspiration for Muslim Mavericks, Volume 1, Maysoon Zayid, the Girl Who Can Can? Seema Yasmin: The inspiration for this series was the exciting breadth of talent, personalities and experiences that exists within the Muslim community! I’m thrilled to tell the stories of comedians, athletes, and scientists through this series which is one of the first, if not the first, middle grade biographical series about Muslims. There are more than two billion of us on the planet, so there are a lot of amazing people to write about. I grew up wishing these books were on my bookshelf so that I could see myself reflected in literature. KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? SY: My agent, Lilly Ghahremani, and I co-conspired on this series back in the summer of 2022 when we were lamenting the lack of books about Muslims. Lilly and I went back and forth on a proposal for the Muslim Mavericks series over the course of a few months and signed a deal with Simon and Schuster the following fall. Lilly is one of those rare agents who is as proficient in offering conceptual refinements and detailed line edits as she is in contract negotiations. The writing sample initially included in the proposal was about a different person, not Maysoon Zayid. But once the deal was in place, I had deeper discussions with my editor about who the first book in the series would be about and we landed on the legendary, incomparable Maysoon Zayid. KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in the book? SY: I adore the pictures of Maysoon and her father. It was her father who would say “Yes, you can can,” to encourage young Maysoon to walk and dance and do her physical therapy exercises. Through my interviews with Maysoon, I learned about the warmth, kindness and dedication of this man and these elements were rendered beautifully by the illustrator, Noha Habaieb. KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? SY: That Muslims are not a monolith! There are 2 billion of us on the planet and we practice many versions of Islam—or no version at all (for those who consider themselves to be culturally Muslim). I hope the books empower and embolden young Muslim readers, and inspire all readers to understand how faith can play a role in shaping a person’s character and life story. KLiC: What’s next for you? SY: I am adapting my first YA novel, Unbecoming, into a movie; working on my second picture book, Inshallah [God-Willing], which will be published by Simon and Schuster in the next year or so; and I’m nervously awaiting edits on my second YA novel. -- SEEMA YASMIN is an Emmy Award–winning journalist who was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, medical doctor, professor, and poet. She attended medical school at Cambridge University and worked as a disease detective for the USfederal government’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. She currently teaches storytelling at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a regular contributor to CNN, Self, and Scientific American, among others. She is also the author of What the Fact? Finding the Truth in All the Noise and Unbecoming. Learn more and order this book here.   KLiC: What was your inspiration for PRAYER IS? TFB: In 2022, I received a tip from Agent Kelly Dyksterhouse—who I’ve known for nearly two decades—that Joy Peskin at FSG was looking for a picture book about prayer from a Christian perspective. Since the project hadn’t been a fit for any of her clients, and she knew Joy and I had worked together previously, she asked if this was a project I’d be interested in. It absolutely was. I reached out to Joy and said something like, “A little birdie told me you were interested in a pb manuscript about prayer. Is that still the case?” She said yes and we were off and running. KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in the book? TFB: I’m glad you asked this question in the plural. I have many, but I’ll just point out two. I’m kind of obsessed with the illustration where our main character is sprawled on the bed, fuming. Alleanna did such a great job infusing both humor and relatability in this picture. Anger and frustration are common impediments to one’s desire and ability to pray. But as I say in the book, trying is what counts most with God. Sometimes trying is the best we can do. That’s true about prayer, and it’s true about other aspects of life as well. Another one of my favorite illustrations is the church scene near the end of the book, where congregants are praying in various ways that feel authentic to them. My favorite part about this scene is the teenager in the back giving that bit of side-eye. Is it because of the crying baby, or is she one of the “doubters” that the text refers to? It could be either…or both. It was important for me to state that prayer is for believers and doubters because my study of the Bible has shown me that God wants to hear whatever it is we are thinking or feeling—including our doubts. Even if they are about Him. I’m not ashamed to admit that I have prayed “Lord help my unbelief” on more than one occasion. Alleanna captured the spirit of inclusion through this character in a subtle but powerful way.   KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? TFB: That prayer is less about memorization and recitation, and more about talking honestly to God. That it’s about more than just asking for stuff. That no one is ever too young (or too anything else) to pray. That’s three things, but I think they’re all equally important. KLIC: What’s next for you? TFB: I have a book coming out in 2027 with Candlewick called MORE THAN ENOUGH. It’s my most personal picture book to date. Not only is it a lyrical celebration of all the everyday people, places, and experiences that shape us, it’s also a reminder that each of us is worthy of the same respect, honor, and dignity afforded to everyone else in the room—no matter who we are or where we come from. This ode to Miami, my childhood home, is being illustrated by Jenin Mohammed, who was also born and raised in South Florida. MORE THAN ENOUGH will mark my first time publishing with Candlewick. They have an amazing reputation in the industry so I’m excited to be on this publication journey with them!  To learn more about Tameka Fryer Brown, please visit:
tamekafryerbrown.com  We are so excited to interview Raidah Shah Idil on our blog today about her latest book, How to Free a Jinn. Read more below. |
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