Heartwarming Children’s Book Free for a Limited Time

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About a year ago we interviewed Eugenia Chu, mom and children’s book author on her book “Brandon Goes to Beijing”. The book immediately caught our attention because of its relatable storyline about her son Brandon’s adventures visiting their family in Beijing. About a year later, Chu has completed another book in the Brandon series – “Brandon Goes to Hong Kong”.

Chu started writing children’s books after her son Brandon was born. She noticed a lack of modern Chinese children’s stories in English that Asian American kids can relate to so she created her own. “Most of the books I found were either straight translations with Chinese on one side and English on the other or were ABC/123 type instructional books with no storyline.”, Chu tells Jingkids. She created the stories for her son and after sending a few to her sisters who also had kids around the same age, she realized they were really popular with kids.

“Several things make it different from other children’s books. First of all, it’s not fully bilingual. It’s not a book written in English with a Chinese translation. It’s a story in English with some Chinese language (simplified characters and Pinyin pronunciation) interwoven throughout so that it gives children a taste of the Chinese language and culture without it feeling like a lesson or being confusing. It’s not overwhelming so as to turn kids off who are just learning Chinese. And kids not learning Chinese at all can also enjoy the book. “The amount of Chinese is just enough to engage the readers and to teach them a little (or reinforce Chinese they already know) without them even realizing it.”, says Chu. “Second, unlike most children’s books which teach history and culture, this one is written as an adventure with a little fantasy. The learning is snuck in here and there so kids are learning while solving a mystery. It’s not pages upon pages of lessons – which can become boring. After all, this is supposed to be a fun read and not homework! Third, this book encourages kids to think for themselves and to reach their own conclusions based on logic and research. Brandon thinks he sees a dragon, but is that possible? Almost everyone tells him no, but he researches and uses logic (and heart) to decide for himself. Finally, the book has the reader draw his or her own conclusions. The reader follows Brandon on his adventures and the story shares Brandon’s research and experiences, but never conclusively tells the reader whether dragons are real. What do you believe?”

As a Chinese American who grew up in California, I can concur with Chu. I’ve never found a single children’s book that wasn’t either about traditional myths or completely unreliable stories about how a good kid needs to wash grandpa’s feet in a water basin every night. So a modern-day story about a young boy’s adventures in my favorite cities going to places that actually exist is both refreshing and relatable.

“I was blown away by the feedback I received! Not only did I win an award from Readers’ Favorite, but the reviews I received were amazing! I was expecting that most of my sales and reviews would be from Chinese American parents like me, but they were from people of all nationalities and backgrounds. I even received glowing reviews from places as far away as the UK, India, and Australia! Several homeschooling moms also purchased and shared the book, so I’ve been thrilled with the reach. They liked that their kiddos learned about Beijing’s history, landmarks, and a little Chinese in a fun, non-textbook way. And their kids loved the mysterious panda”, says Chu.

The Brandon series is a fun way for kids to improve their Chinese vocabulary and learn the culture at the same time.

For Beijing’s aspiring young writers, Chu has some advice. “Join writer groups on Facebook, Instagram, and other online communities. Writers are amazingly supportive of other writers and you can learn a lot from them and join in fun collaborations. I wish I had done this before I started publishing! Also, if you haven’t already, set up a website, Facebook page, and Goodreads account. When you’re ready, set up an author page with Amazon. Finally, just keep writing! Never stop writing! Good luck to all the aspiring writers out there!”

For a limited time, Chu has agreed to let us offer our readers a free digital copy of “Brandon Goes to Hong Kong”. Scan the QR code below to download your copy, available from Mar 16 – 19. To purchase a hardcopy, go to amazon.com .

Images: Courtesy of Eugenia Chu, unsplash

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