New Release: The Dinner That Cooked Itself by J.C. Hsyu & Kenard Pak

(US/UK Links)

The Dinner That Cooked Itself by J.C. Hsyu (Author), Kenard Pak (Illustrator) was released late last year in both the US and UK. See The Dinner that Cooked Itself (UK Link). This is a charming story. The publisher offered the following photos of the book on their site, Wish they were larger, but there's enough to show the art style.

The story is similar to Swan Maiden tales, but sweeter and gentler.

Book description:

Long, long ago, in a small town in ancient China, there lived an honest and respectful man called Tuan. Tuan was lonely and looked hard for a wife, but even the matchmaker couldn't help him. One night, however, Tuan's luck changed. And so begins the story of Tuan, White Wave, and the Dinner that Cooked Itself. This beautiful and enchanting Chinese fairytale will captivate the imagination with the perfect blend of magic and realism!

J.C. Hsyu was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and raised in Los Angeles. A graduate of UCLA and the Clarion Writers' Workshop, she has worked in the animation, VFX, and video game industries and published speculative fiction short stories. She lives in San Francisco, California, with her husband and reads incessantly. The Dinner That Cooked Itself is her first children's book.

Kenard Pak grew up in Baltimore and Howard County, Maryland. He studied at Syracuse University and California Institute of the Arts, and as a visual development artist worked on films with Dreamworks and Walt Disney Feature Animation. The Dinner that Cooked Itself is his second children's book. Along with his wife, he lives and works in San Francisco.