Mama's Love Language: Sometimes Love Tastes Like Hainan Chicken Rice- Author Interview and Giveaway4/15/2024
This post is in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Elisa Stad. All opinions are my own.
Book Information
Mama’s Love Language: Sometimes Love Tastes Like Hainan Chicken Rice
Written by Elisa Stad Illustrated by Ry Menson Ages 5-10 | 31 Pages Publisher: Ginger Lotus Press | ISBN-13: 9798988378518 Publisher’s Book Summary: Jade is a girl who lives in two worlds and, coming from a multicultural family, she’s on a quest to understand her identity and where she truly belongs. She is trying to find her place in the world but feels different from the other kids at school. Back home, Jade’s parents have their unique approach to love and care. Sometimes Jade is embarrassed by Mama’s accent and she can’t understand why she is not just like any other mother she knows. The real adventure unfolds when Jade starts rebelling against her mother’s traditional ways of showing love, especially through food. It’s a struggle that takes her on a path of discovery, as she learns about her family’s rich heritage and her mother’s challenging past in Vietnam and as an immigrant. Jade then discovers that even though Mama doesn’t hug or say I love you, the healing aroma of ginger, green onions, and chicken broth does. “Mama’s Love Language” is a heartwarming children’s book that addresses the universal theme of belonging and the beauty of cultural diversity. Through Jade’s story, children will learn that being different is not only okay but something to be celebrated, and that love can come in many shapes and forms. Author Interview
I'm excited to share my interview with Elisa. She spent the majority of her career, as a brand and international business executive for luxury goods and consumer product companies. After experiencing working in over 40 countries, she acquired a passion for globalization and the sharing of cultures based on her experiences. Elisa is also focused on inspiring the youth through her efforts in healthcare inequities through Stad Center of Pain, Palliative, and Integrative Medicine and serves on college boards at USC, UCSF and Harvard.Elisa grew up in a mixed-race household, as a daughter of a Vietnamese refugee mother and American father. She grew up in a multicultural home, searching for identity. She also moved homes often in her childhood including to Asia and within the US to Idaho and California.
She always wanted to share with other young children the beauty of humanity and how we can celebrate our unique gifts. You can find her enjoying ballet, visiting local Asian street markets, practicing yoga, and focusing on her spiritual practice. Elisa lives in Southern California with her husband, 3 children and a bernedoodle. For more information, visit https://www.elisastad.com/ Where did you get the inspiration for Mama's Love Language: Sometimes Love Tastes Like Hainan Chicken Rice? I grew up in a mixed-race household as a daughter of a Vietnamese refugee mother and an Scottish-Irish American father. My search for identity has been a constant question- having been raised in a multicultural home and never feeling I fit in. With my Chinese family, I was white. With my white family I was Chinese. When I lived in HK I was very American. When I lived in Idaho I felt like my Chinese traits stood out. It was my lifelong dream to write a book to share with young children that everyone has a place and should be celebrated just as they are. What was your writing process like for this book? I started writing this book on a returning flight from Hong Kong. I felt compelled to share my story with other young children who could identify with feeling out of place with the mix of cultures and race. I went back to this piece during the start of the pandemic and then put it down. I finally had the courage to get this piece published when my children started to ask about when the book could be in a library. What is your favorite part about writing books for kids? I love hearing the conversations the children are raising with Mama’s Love Language. All children can relate to Jade in different ways: emotions she feels, wanting to fit in, and trying to understand herself. I'm very passionate about spreading diversity and this book gave me the opportunity to show children from multicultural and multiracial homes that being different makes us unique. What are you working on now? I’m focused on getting Mama’s Love Language to different communities, libraries, bookstores and schools. In the coming months we will see what Jade evolves into. I’m also working on the launch of a Pediatric Integrative medicine center at UCSF. At the end of the year I will start writing my next book. What is your favorite book? As mother of three elementary school kids the Roald Dahl series are a must read, such as Matilda or BFG. I was an addict of Roald Dahl from 2nd grade on. As an avid adult reader my favorite authors are Amy Tan and Lisa See. I just finished Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See which connects Eastern medicine modalities and is a historical fiction piece. I keep exploring a piece of my heritage and history through the lenses of authors like Tan and See. Giveaway
Enter the giveaway for the chance to win a copy of Mama’s Love Language: Sometimes Love Tastes Like Hainan Chicken Rice, signed by Elisa Stad, and a $50 Amazon gift card!
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