Dim Sum Palace and We Are Definitely Human have been real picture book highlights for me this year, so I’m really pleased to welcome their creator, X. Fang, into The Reading Realm to talk about her wonderful books!

Before we settle down in The Reading Realm to talk about your books, what’s your drink and snack of choice? 

I’m going to sound like a granny, but I like drinking hot water with lemon and snacking on dried fruit like apricots and prunes.

Without giving too much away, what can you tell us about your new book WE ARE DEFINITELY HUMAN?

It’s a story about Mr. and Mrs. Li and the three strangers who show up one night. Their eyes are big, their skin is blue, their shape is very hard to describe, but they INSIST that they are DEFINITELY human.

I loved DIM SUM PALACE! How would you say WE ARE DEFINITELY is similar to this book? How is it different?

They’re similar technically, in that they’re both drawn with graphite on paper and colored digitally, and perhaps on a fundamental level, they’re similar in how they situate the fantastical within the quotidian. But they are very different stories as one is about a little girls fantastical dim sum dreams and the other is about three blue strangers appearing in town.

You write both the words and illustrate the artwork for your picture books. What is the process like for you when creating a picture book? Do the words come first or the illustrations? Or both?

It differs with each project. Sometimes a story comes to mind but it’s purely visual. Dim Sum Palace was like that. I had the imagery before I had the words. Other times, I begin with a title, like We Are Definitely Human, and work backwards to find the story and then the imagery. There are many different paths and modes of trasnportation but the destination is the same.

I love the colour palette in WE ARE DEFINITELY. Can you talk us through your choices here, especially relating to the aliens who are definitely, absolutely humans!

I wanted the three visitors to really stand out in town. In my mind, the story is set in a rural farming town with a lot of Earth tones. Suddenly we have three visitors who say they are from Earth but they are not Earth toned at all. Instead they are electric pink and blue, which further adds their otherworldlyness.

I wondered if you had any early artwork and concept sketches you could share with us relating to WE ARE DEFINITELY? 

When I was still figuring out the story, I sketched the three visitors in various scenarios and asked myself, “How should the townspeople react?”

 Which children’s books did you like reading as a child and why?

I struggled to read when I was younger and the library became a source of shame and embarassement, so unfortunately missed out on a lot of great children’s books, particularly picture books. But despite my aversion, I was VERY aware of The Stink Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by John Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. It looked hilariously insane and it made me want to be a reader.

What can you tell us about what you’re working on next and what we can look forward to? 

I just finished my third picture book. It is called BROKEN. It’s a story about a little girl and a cup…and a cake…and cake.

Finally, can you describe both DIM SUM PALACE and then WE ARE DEFINITELY HUMAN in three words each? 

Dim Sum Palace: A delicious dream. 

We Are Definitely Human: Humans are nice.