In today’s world, our children are growing up surrounded by people from different countries, different nationalities, different beliefs, different customs, and traditions. Reading diverse storybooks that highlight a culture different from the child’s, is a learning opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. After all, there is a strong possibility there is someone in the child’s school that looks like the character they are reading/seeing in a book, and it is extremely inspiring and empowering for children to see themselves reflected in a story.
Children’s book author Christine Paik has written a beautiful children’s picture book where she pays homage to her Asian American culture. In her book, The Girl in the Gold Dress, she captures the topics of immigration, resilience, and family connections that span over four generations from the perspective of a 10-year old girl named Hannah. Hannah also finds out the special significance of her beautiful Korean hanbok dress as well as her Korean name “Geum Chun,” which literally means “Gold Dress.”
Born and raised in Southern California, Christine is a second-generation Korean-American wife and mother. She grew up going to Korean school on Saturdays, learning fan dances, and learning to read, write, and speak Korean. She decided to write a book that would connect the traditional hanbok dress to her family’s history and escape from the Korean War. In the book, Hannah is embarrassed about wearing the dress to school performance. But, not only the dress, in her mind, she is ashamed of the dance, the music, and her culture for being “too different, too Korean!” Does Hannah’s learning about her heritage and history help her find pride in her culture?
I invite you to watch our IGTV!
Before becoming a children’s book author, Christine was a television news anchor and reporter and has won six Emmy awards. She loves telling stories and, now more than ever, is determined to write stories rich in culture and with characters that children can identify with and where they can learn to be proud of where they came from. “It is important to share cultural stories with children. What better ambassadors for culture than authors themselves? We must go back and learn about our ancestors, our roots and share with our children, all children!”
Christine’s mom, Jung Lin Park, was the illustrator for The Girl in the Gold Dress!
Here are Christine’s 3 tips to raise culturally- confident children:
- Expose children to arts and literature from your native country and many different countries and cultures.
- Facilitate connections with older generations: grandparents or family members that can share oral histories.
- Instill a love for learning and curiosity about the world: travel with your children, and if virtually!
For more information about Christine and her book follow her on Instagram @christinepaikpr and @thegirlinthegolddressbook or visit her site www.christinepaik.com.
Thank you, Christine!
