Meet Author, Eugenia Chu!
Eugenia Chu is a first generation Chinese-American citizen, born in New Jersey and raised primarily outside of Boston, Massachusetts and then St. Petersburg, Florida. Eugenia has also lived and attended school in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Taipei and Shanghai (summer study abroad). She met her husband in law school and they currently live in Miami with their son, Brandon, and fish, Sharky.
Eugenia’s son, Brandon, is the inspiration for her stories. When Brandon was very little, Eugenia would read a bedtime story (or 2, or 3!) every night to him and then at lights out, she and Brandon would discuss his day and all the events that occurred. They would take turns adding information and make up little stories based on the happenings of the day before going to sleep. Eugenia was always searching for children’s storybooks to read to him which touched upon Chinese culture and which included some Chinese (Mandarin) words to teach and/or reinforce his Chinese vocabulary, but had trouble finding them. Most of the books she found were either straight translation or ABC/123 type books with no storyline. So, she started writing her own based on events in Brandon’s life and the little stories they told at bedtime. Brandon Makes Jiǎo Zi (餃子) is the first “Brandon” story.
Brandon Makes Jiǎo Zi (餃子) is about a little Chinese-American boy named Brandon who gets a surprise visit from his grandma from China, Pó Po (婆婆). While Brandon and Pó Po (婆婆) are making Chinese dumplings, called jiǎo zi (餃子), Brandon makes a mess and he and Pó Po (婆婆) have a good laugh! They chat and bond over the experience. Then Brandon eats and eats and eats and makes a surprise at the end that delights the whole family! This story includes some conversational Mandarin Chinese (including Pinyin – pronunciation) and is written the way a real Chinese grandmother and her Chinese-American grandson would speak with each other. It is a fun read for families with children who are learning, or are interested in, Mandarin or Chinese culture.
Website: eugeniachu.com
Amazon: amazon.com/author/eugeniachu
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