Book Launch Party & Storytime with Andrea Wang

May 22, 2022

On Saturday, the Longmont Public Library’s event room was simply enchanting. The library staff decked out the space by hanging giant paper bonbons from the ceiling, laying out cozy blankets at the front of the room for the kids to sit on picnic-style, and setting up a craft table in the back with crayons, pencils, and teacup coloring sheets. The TWJ team completed the scene with bunches of multicolored balloons. But why put together such a cozy, fun-loving space? All for author Andrea Wang and illustrator Hyewon Yum to celebrate their new picture book Luli and the Language of Tea!

Wang is a celebrated children’s book author. Her book Watercress won a Caldecott Medal, Newbery Honor, and the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) Award. After the introductions of Wang and Yum, who was able to zoom into the event from New York, Wang took center stage. She explained the story behind the book–how she wondered if the word “tea” sounded similar in all languages and how she wanted the story to come full circle. She accomplished this by having the children in the story literally pass tea around a circular table. The real-life children at the event were mesmerized by the book projected on a big screen as Wang read her story.

Yum then talked about the process of illustrating the book and showed her sketches and her final art. Wang and Yum took turns leading discussions and interacting with the audience. Wang played audio clips of her friends saying “tea” in different languages, and Yum introduced the teacup coloring craft by demonstrating how she colored her teacup coloring sheet.

The 52 attendees were then able to meet Wang, ask her questions, and get books signed–it was a fun day! The TWJ team would love to give a shout-out to Claire, Stephanie, and David at the Longmont Public Library for helping put on such an amazing event. Thanks to everyone who stopped by. We had so much fun meeting and interacting with you all, and we look forward to seeing you at our next event!

If you attended, let us know your thoughts by emailing us at hello@twjbookshop.com! We love hearing from you and getting your feedback on books, events, and everything in between.

Happy Wandering!