I’m delighted and thrilled to share that my first picture book Summoning the Phoenix has received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews! This the first book review for both April and myself AND it’s the first Kirkus starred review for our book’s first editor Renee Ting and for our publisher Shen’s Books, the newest imprint of Lee & Low Books. Special thanks to our book’s second editor Louise May for her eagle eyes and Hannah and the wonderful marketing staff at Lee & Low. Summoning the Phoenix is not even officially published yet, and it’s wonderful to know that someone out there likes it.
The Kirkus reviewer calls Summoning the Phoenix an “informative and gracefully illustrated twin debut” and says:
“From the booming paigu to the delicate strings of the ruan, the lutelike pipa and the yangqin, or hammered “butterfly harp,” a lively medley that will expand the musical boundaries of most young audiences.”