Pei's Pineapple Cakes By Crystal Z. Lee
Crystal Z. Lee Guest Post
-Pei's Pineapple Cakes is a story that takes place in Taiwan. What are some of your favorite places in Taiwan?
I attended school near one of Taipei's Eslite bookstores so was always hanging out there. Nanjing East Road is where my dad's company was and where I spent many afternoons. I took my engagement photos at Tamsui River so for me, it's a romantic place. Our babymoon was at the gorgeous Sun Moon Lake and at the beaches of Hengchun. My children also loved chasing butterflies at Maolin. Tainan is a favorite because it contains the oldest districts in Taiwan with many historical monuments.
-Are your two children's books about Taiwan (Pei's Pineapple Cakes and Kai the Dancing Butterfly) related to each other?
They are completely different stories but if you look closely at the illustrations, you will find some parallels! For example, Pei is supposed to be an older version of the girl on the cover of KTDB!
-The book cover of Pei's Pineapple Cakes is a detailed and exquisite work of art. Tell us about it.
The cover of this book is meant to resemble a pineapple cakes box. The illustrator, Allie Su, really brought this concept to life. In Taiwan, the pineapple cakes packaging is often valued just as much as the actual pineapple cake itself.
-Pei's Pineapple Cakes is your fifth book! Looking back, is there a book which you enjoyed writing more than others?
Creating Pei's Pineapple Cakes really brought back memories because I wrote about many elements of my childhood, such as calligraphy, aiyu jelly, glove puppetry, the monkey king, and of course, pineapple cakes!
Writing Mei's Mermaid Mission was also great fun because this is a book that spans mythology, ecology, culture and geography. I really immersed myself in the research process and found it fascinating that cultures all over the globe have mermaid mythologies.
-Your first book was published five years ago. How did you first get into writing?
My previous career was in public relations where I had to write many press releases and corporate materials. It was during this time I yearned for a creative outlet so I would write fiction on the side. Later, I took writing and publishing courses at Stanford University and attended literary events whenever I could. Nowadays I’m perpetually working on some manuscript or another.
-Pei's Pineapple Cakes features a myriad of traditional folk arts. What was your thinking behind that?
My children are currently elementary school aged. Their generation is bombarded with devices and the pursuit of the latest technological applications and it sometimes seems like they've forgotten the beauty of traditional, slower-paced endeavors. It takes patience to bake, to make a specialized tea, to learn craftsmanship such as weaving. It's my hope that through this book, young readers can develop an appreciation for traditional artistry and handmade goods, versus things that are on the screen or machine made.
-Your first book was published five years ago. What are some of the major changes in your life from the past five years?
Five years and five books ago I was a younger mom who was juggling mothering, writing and pitching while dreaming and praying for a career in writing. All I wanted to do was to write good stories with the hope that someone out there, some reader would be moved. But I'm the one that's been moved by many! I've received letters and messages from children, parents, educators all over the globe about how my books have inspired or affected them. I've been asked to read at schools, festivals and birthday parties. Truly I feel blessed all the time to be able to connect with people through the love of literature.
-All of your children’s books have names in the titles, such as Pei, Mei, Rin and Kai. How do you come up with the character names in your books?
I try to be culturally authentic when choosing names for the characters. For example, in the story of Mei’s Mermaid Mission there are characters from Cambodia, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, etc., so their names are authentic to their cultural heritage. I remember receiving some criticism that some of these names were hard to pronounce. While that may be the case for some, I still think it’s a teachable moment. When we teach our children to learn names authentic to a certain culture, we are imparting virtues of empathy and respect. In this way, we also help our kids to cultivate an international worldview.
This looks like a great read. Thanks for sharing.
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