Alameda father writes children's book as gift to daughter, a nod to their Chinese heritage
ALAMEDA, Calif. - A father in Alameda wanted to read stories to his young daughter that reflected their Chinese heritage. But when he couldn't find any, he decided to write his own.
Kuang Lee said it's important for children to see representation.
His goal was to create a sense of adventure and bring joy to his 7-year-old and other children while teaching them about culture and language. Lee created a modern twist to a classic storyline: a heroine goes on an epic adventure and comes back a changed person.
"There was a curious girl who loved reading Chinese stories," Lee said as he read the opening line from his new book, titled "Mei and The Monkey King."
Mei is a girl inspired by his daughter. The Monkey King is a famous character in Chinese mythology.
Lee works in advertising for tech companies and said he wrote the children's book because he couldn't find any that could teach his daughter about her Chinese heritage.
"The books never had that representation of Asian people, girls with a lot of confidence. I wanted to create a book that I would want to read to my daughter at night," said Lee.
The book tells the story of a young girl going to Chinatown with her parents and venturing through a portal that transports her into a world where the Monkey King grants her the wish to see all the great myths and legends of ancient China.
"She sees dragons, the great wall being built, and all these cool mythical creatures," said Lee.
Each page contained a Chinese word way to teach the language and culture. Lee brought the story to life by collaborating with San Francisco illustrator Ronnie Allman.
"The pictures are really vibrant. They take old Chinese myths and update them to make them look new and fresh for modern audiences," Lee said.
The illustrations draw from multiple sources, including Pixar and comic books.
"I was really happy when I first read it to her with the pictures. As soon as I was done with the book, what she told me was Daddy, read it to me again, said Lee.
He emigrated from Taiwan to the United States when he was two.
Writing this book was a journey of discovery and sharing.
"Part of making this book is reconnecting myself with that culture I came from and giving that back to my daughter too. I want her to know that being Chinese American, being Asian American is great," Lee said this is the first of many children's books he plans to write with Mei as the main character.
She will go on adventures to explore other cultures.
Mei & The Monkey King is available on Amazon.
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU.