Interview with Tina Cho
A
s we begin our series on Asian American representation in media, one area of representation that perhaps few often consider, yet has incredible value and influence, is children’s literature.
Many of us probably grew up reading books that featured talking animals or fairy tale creatures, and when there were human characters, they were usually white children, such as Peter Pan, Fern Arable, or Eloise. Still today, the majority of children’s books characters are predominantly white whereas Asian characters are one of the least represented. Undoubtedly, children’s books play an integral role in shaping children’s values, imagination, and self-understanding. Hence, there is a need for more children’s books that represent the diversity of experience, culture, and identity. In this article, we interview Tina Cho about her work as a children’s author and the value of diverse representation in children’s literature, which characterizes much of her work.
Tina Cho is the author of Rice from Heaven: The Secret Mission to Feed North Koreans (Little Bee Books 2018), Korean Celebrations (Tuttle 2019), My Breakfast with Jesus: Worshipping God around the World (Harvest House 2020), The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story (Kokila/Penguin Random House 2020), God’s Little Astronomer (Waterbrook 2/20/2024) & God’s Little Oceanographer 2025. Her lyrical middle grade graphic novel, The Other Side of Tomorrow, debuts from Harper Alley 11/12/2024. After living in South Korea for ten years, Tina, her husband, and two kids reside in Iowa where Tina also teaches kindergarten.
What motivated you to pursue a career as a children’s author? Could you elaborate on your personal background and its influence on your writing?
My love for picture books grew from reading hundreds of them to my students since I am a teacher. So in 2008, while living in California, I decided to research how to write a children’s book. The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) put me in touch with a local writer’s group. This Christian group took me under their wing, and I started writing for the educational and Christian markets. Little by little as I studied the craft of writing and took classes, I eventually started writing picture book stories. Also, having my own two young kids at the time, I wanted to leave a Christian legacy for them. My perspective and point of view in my stories center around my faith in Jesus.
But then we had a major move to South Korea, to help my husband’s father’s business. Being immersed in Korean culture and learning and seeing so much became fodder for my stories. We lived there for ten years. Seeing my children mix into society showed me how important it was for them to have and read books with characters that looked like them. Diverse books are important.
Your many children’s books consistently incorporate representation of diverse ethnicities and cultures, especially Asian and Asian American culture. What prompted you to explore themes of representation generally? And why is it important for children’s literature to have Asian representation in particular?
I, myself, am a Korean adoptee, but I married a Korean man and had two kids. Seeing my kids mix into society, especially after moving back to the states, has been an eye opener. And when raising them, it was hard to find books with characters that looked like them. In the United States, there are more children’s books published with white characters and animals than books featuring children of color. Publishers have realized this and are acquiring more books with diverse characters. However, the numbers are still not equal. You can read a blog post article I wrote about that here.
I think it’s important that children’s literature features Asian representation because kids need to see themselves in books. Non-Asian kids need to see stories of Asian kids in everyday regular life who are just like them. Our American culture needs to recenter normalcy. Racism still happens in schools because kids don’t accept each other’s differences. Even in college, my son is still experiencing this. But if seeing diversity everyday becomes the norm, it might help kids to accept and love each other better.
Can you share a story of impact from children or parents who have read your books?
I love getting emails from parents and teachers who have discovered my books. One in particular told about a girl who had recently moved to California from Korea. She was given one of my books that featured a Korean character and that really made her happy. Another Korean mother emailed that her daughter was so proud that I did a virtual author visit with her class, reading my book The Ocean Calls. And one of the best stories is when I Zoomed with about 30 elementary teachers from New York to tell them the story behind the story of The Ocean Calls and my heart for writing. Even the director from the NY State Master Teacher Program attended, and they all ordered my books.
How has your faith shaped your work and what role do you see your work playing within the broader Christian community?
As I said before, my point of view centers around my faith in Jesus. Not all of my stories are Christian stories per se, but they showcase matters important to me or highlight God’s diverse world. My book Rice from Heaven, is based on an event I helped with–a North Korean refugee church in Seoul sending balloons of rice over the North Korean border. My Breakfast with Jesus is based on a diverse cast of kids from around the globe, the different breakfasts they eat and how they share Jesus’ love with others. And my newest picture book, God’s Little Astronomer, with diverse characters which I’ll explain in the next question. I hope that from reading my books, families see God’s love and creation and care about all people, especially Asians :)
Lastly, can you tell us more about your upcoming book release and what you are most excited about?
I’m going to tell you about two of them.
God’s Little Astronomer kicks off a new faith-based science series from Penguin Random House’s Christian imprint, Waterbrook. I especially love that the illustrator, Marta Álvarez Miguéns, features two diverse characters, one black girl and an Asian boy. There aren’t many nonfiction books featuring diverse characters. Christian parents who want a nonfiction science series with a Christian point of view will love this series. It features Bible verses on each spread along with facts, all based on what God’s Word has to say about each topic. This picture book is for ages 4-8. It was published on February 20, 2024.
The Other Side of Tomorrow is a middle grade lyrical graphic novel publishing from Harper Alley on November 12, 2024. This story is based on North Korean children who escape the Asian Underground Railroad to find freedom. Most of those who help them are Christians. I first learned about North Korean refugees when I lived in South Korea and saw how the churches had ministries to help them. God touched my heart, and I researched and interviewed North Koreans for this book. It’s been a long time coming because I originally started this story in 2013. It has changed over time, and I can’t wait, especially, for children in the U.S. to see that there are children their age living in hiding or eating once a day or escaping freedom. I want readers to pray for these children.
Photo by Pixabay