Kids’ Storytime

Join the Chinese American Museum and Ms. Rita from the Los Angeles Public Library’s Chinatown branch for this month’s Kids’ Storytime on Thursday, February 12, at 4pm PST. Ms. Rita will be reading Sparkles for Sunny: A Lunar New Year Story by Sylvia Chen and illustrated by Thai My Phuong. 

This book is suitable for ages 4-9, though we welcome children of all ages with parental supervision! 

This program is hosted virtually on Zoom. Register today by at camla.org/storytime. 

“Kids’ Storytime featuring Asian American Authors” is hosted in partnership with the Chinatown Branch Library.  

About the book: 

The Lao family lives by four rules: make what you can, find good deals, share extras with others, and never waste anything. Which is why, every Lunar New Year, Sunny ends up in a hand-me-down qipáo once worn by her older sisters. This year, though Sunny longs for something that feels more like her. As the family cooks, crafts, and prepares for the New Year parade, Sunny searches for a way to honor the Lao Family Way while still expressing who she is. Dreaming of something golden and sparkly, her clever solution may just show that tradition and individuality don’t have to clash.  

About the author: 

Sylvia Chen is an Asian American children’s book author born and raised in Queens, New York. She has also lived and worked in Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Paris, and Tokyo, and now resides in New Jersey with her family. A former science fair competitor, Julliard Pre-College piano alumni, and Columbia University statistics major, Chen has a passion for the arts and sciences. Her love for research has shaped her goal of crafting picture books that ignite children’s interest in STEAM and creative thinking. Growing up in Queens, Chen fondly remembers learning to use the chopsticks by transferring slippery marbles from bowl to bowl—a memory that inspired her debut picture book, Tricky Chopsticks. Chen is also a fan of word puzzles and is the creator of #PBSudyBuddy, a social media initiative featuring picture books for teachers, librarians, and creators. 

About the illustrator: 

Thai My Phuong, aka Tamypu, is a children’s book illustrator, designer, and former lecturer with a passion for visual storytelling. After graduating with an MA in Sequential Art/Illustration at the University of Brighton, UK, she has collaborated on numerous picture books with Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Charlesbridge Publishing. In addition to illustrating books, she also taught at UAH University in Vietnam. Tamypu was born and raised in Vietnam and now lives in the US. She also enjoys illustrating cards for friends, traveling, boba, and homemade coffee. Her work can be seen in America’s Dreaming by Bob McKinnon, Gingerbread Dreidels by Jane Breskin Zalben, and Miss Prim Goes Wild by Katy Rose.