Wonderfully Made is a children's storybook written by Esther Leung Kong and illustrated by Melanie Choi, meant for children ages 5-10.
In this book the author shares her story and struggles as a child immigrating to a new place, it describes some of the cultural clash and identity crisis she encounters.
As the author grew up she met Indigenous friends and learned about their stories that helped transform her journey in embracing her own cultural roots.
This bilingual version is written in both English and Chinese with traditional characters and pinyin as well.
The purchase of the physical book comes with two (2) digital ebooks (English version and bilingual version) and four (4) audio books (English, Mandarin, Cantonese 1 [read in written Chinese], Cantonese 2 [read in spoken Cantonese]).
Note from the Author
My family immigrated to Turtle Island (Canada) in the 1990's from Hong Kong. In this book I share my story of struggles with fitting in as a child immigrating to a new country. My book will describe some of the cultural clash and identity crisis I encounter.
As I grew up I had the honour of meeting Indigenous people who became my friends, I learned about their culture and stories including their personal experience in "Indian Residential School". This is one of the major turning points in my life that opened my eyes to see the suffering and resilience of Indigenous people. The story will also describe how it transforms my identity as I learn to embrace my own cultural root.
Themes in the book:
- Immigrant & newcomer struggles
- Colonial history & treatment of Indigenous People
- Racism, diversity, empathy & inclusion
- Embracing one's cultural heritage
While these can be heavier subjects for a children's book, there are valuable lessons that I think children can understand even at a young age. It is never too young to educate especially through stories. The target age group will be for children 5 - 10. Parents and teachers can read this story together with the younger ones.
My dream is that even if one child can relate to the struggles, see themselves as part of this story, see their newcomer classmates going through this journey, and gain more empathy and understanding, then my goals for this book have been achieved!
Hardcover | 36 pages | 10" x 10"
