Have you ever wanted to make a special gift for someone and struggled with the task?  Do you love crochet?  If you said yes to either of those questions, this book is for you!

Kim-Hoa Ung is a Chinese American author-illustrator and amigurumi artist. Just like Lyn Lyn, she crocheted hats for her grandma. When Kim-Hoa is not creating stories, you can find her crocheting pieces for art shows, sending snail mail, and making arts and crafts with her kids. She lives with her family in Southern California. A Gift for Nai Nai is her debut picture book.  You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

A GIFT FOR NAI NAI is a picture book about a young girl, Lyn Lyn, who wants to learn to crochet.  Yet even more than that, she wants to make the perfect gift for her grandma whom she calls Nai Nai.  Her grandma has always made hats for her.  She wants to do the same in return.  But she has no idea how complicated crocheting can be.  This is a struggle of persistence, as well as learning how to crochet.  Kim-Hoa is both the author and illustrator of this story, based on her own personal experiences.  The illustrations are soft and alluring, and the back of the book even includes some basic “how to” instructions for young readers to learn how to crochet in reality.  She also has an Etsy shop where she sells amigurumi (i.e., adorable crocheted dolls).  I had no idea that was even a thing!  I learned something new.  I love that.  This is a sweet intergenerational story that may lead to a lifelong love of crochet.  I know I will be adding this book to my classroom collection of books about perseverance.

Welcome Kim-Hoa!

Me: What was your artistic journey? When did you start creating art?  How did that bring you to writing and illustrating this book?

Kim-Hoa: I started learning digital illustrations in 2020. That was when I started my kidlit journey. Some people said that it might be easier for me to get into publishing if I can do both writing and illustrating, so I wanted to try. I create amigurumi (crocheted plushies), so I have experience with character design. Yet I am still learning through a lot of trial and error. I am thankful that my original editor loved A GIFT FOR NAI NAI and wanted to work with me.

Me: Can you talk about your art process for this book?  It’s gorgeous!  Did you use only traditional media or digital, or a blend of both?  What made you decide to use this medium for this book?

Kim-Hoa: Thank you so much for your kind comment, Jena. It was digital using an iPad, Apple Pencil, and the Procreate app. I tried to use Procreate brushes that would make the art less flat or digital. I don’t have much experience with traditional media, so I decided to try digital for the book. Hopefully I can create a book with traditional media someday.

Me: I see via your website and your Etsy shop that you are an amigurumi artist as well.  Is that what gave you the idea for this story?

Kim-Hoa: Thank you for asking about me being an amigurumi artist. I had not seen any books with crochet at the time, so I wanted to write one. You can actually find my original amigurumi plushies illustrated throughout the book.  

Me: Ohh!  That’s a cool Easter egg.  Was the writing of this concept easy from the first draft?  Or did you have to make many revisions for this story to get to this wonderful state?

Kim-Hoa: The idea seemed simple, but it was a challenge for me. I knew how I wanted the beginning and end to be. It was the middle and how things would be resolved that was difficult. In the draft that I had submitted to my editor, Lyn Lyn’s cousins laugh at her gift. But the editor suggested that I remove the cousins and just focus on Lyn Lyn and Nai Nai. Yes, I went through many revisions. My characters were originally pandas. But another kind editor suggested the possibility of making them humans instead since there are more animal books than BIPOC stories. I’m thankful for those editors and my critique partners for all their feedback and suggestions.

Me:  You are both the author and the illustrator of this wonderful story.  What was harder, the writing or the illustrating of it?  Why?

Kim-Hoa: Aww, thank you, Jena! Illustrating was harder than the writing. I was still learning how to use Procreate so it was challenging. I didn’t get to attend art school, so I had to learn how to work with colors and values.

Me: There is a picture on your blog of you with your grandmother that looks almost exactly like the picture at the end of your book (of Nai Nai and Lyn Lyn).  Was that intentional?  Have you secretly dedicated this book to your own grandma (even though it might not say that in the actual dedication of the book)?

Kim-Hoa: Thank you for noticing, Jena! Yes, the story was written in honor of my grandma. The photo is also part of my book jacket for the author’s photo. In that photo, my grandma is wearing a simple hat that I made for her. She was such a big supporter of my work. Unfortunately, she passed away before I even thought about creating books. I had wanted to dedicate to my grandma, mom, and dad too in the actual dedication, but the new editor I was assigned to said that dedications are usually one short sentence. So I was sad about that. But, I’m glad I got to include them in the art.

Me: Any advice for other new picture book writers and/or illustrators?

Kim-Hoa: Keep writing. Keep illustrating. Agents either didn’t like my writing or my illustrations. It was hard because it made me wonder what in the world I was capable of. But the kidlit community and my family were encouraging. So I kept practicing. It is important to find yourself supportive friends and critique partners who will try their best to help you do better. Good luck with everything, kidlit friends! I am rooting for you all!

That is great advice.  Thank you for stopping by my blog today Kim-Hoa.

But wait, dear readers!  There’s more!  Kim-Hoa has also offered a giveaway of one copy of her book (US contestants only).  You can enter the rafflecopter HERE.  Good luck!