Starred Review for the Nian Monster!

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Wow!!!  Publishers Weekly reviewed THE NIAN MONSTER and gave it a starred review! I can hardly believe it — it’s really a dream come true. Here’s my favorite quote from the review:

“Wang’s story thrills but doesn’t threaten: Chau’s wonderfully vivid watercolors give the monster doe eyes and a round body that make him seem like a cranky, overgrown teddy bear, and Wang shares cultural information about the Chinese New Year with the lightest of touches.”

Isn’t that wonderful? I feel like the reviewer totally understood my story and what I was trying to do. Here’s a link to the full review if you want to read it. And a sneak peek at one of the interior illustrations of the book, featuring Mr. Crankypants, the Nian Monster. He doesn’t look too grumpy here at all. 🙂

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The Nian Monster Cover Reveal!

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Today, Pragmatic Mom hosted my cover reveal of THE NIAN MONSTER on her blog. Check it out here! And then check out all the great posts Pragmatic Mom has on her blog — lots of lists of wonderful diverse books that you can pull up the next time you’re at the library.

I’m super excited to share that the dust jacket of the hardbound version of THE NIAN MONSTER will have red foil accents. The title and the leaves on the tree above Xingling (the main character) are in shiny red foil. I love having that bit of sparkle on the cover.

MYTHICAL CREATURES

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Happy Chinese New Year!! In honor of the new year, I give you….

NIAN

According to Chinese legend, Nian was a monster. Some say he came from the sea. Others say he came from the mountains. Most of the year, he slept. But on the eve of the lunar new year, Nian woke and terrorized the country, eating everything in sight. At last, a wise old beggar (who may have been a monk or a spirit in disguise) figured out how to frighten away Nian. He taught the villagers his methods and since then, Nian has not returned. Here are two videos showing different versions of the legend. The first one is the traditional legend. The second puts a new spin on it. Watch them and find out what scares Nian away!