Storytime with Michelle Jing Chan and Julia Kuo — 'Weiwei's Winter Solstice' and 'Home is a Wish'
Schedule
Sun, 26 Oct, 2025 at 11:00 am
UTC-07:00Location
17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA, United States, Washington 98155 | Lake Forest Park, WA
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Join us for a storytime about holidays, home, and the challenges and silver linings of moving to a new place. Third Place Books welcomes children's book authors and illustrators Michelle Jing Chan and Julia Kuo to our Lake Forest Park store for a read-aloud featuring Michelle's book Weiwei's Winter Solstice: A Dongzhì Story and Julia's book Home is a Wish.
This event is free and open to the public. RSVP is not required. Readers of all ages welcome!
About Weiwei's Winter Solstice. . .
This captivating picture book introduces the customs and traditions of an important Chinese holiday in a story that bursts with color and light to warm even the darkest days of winter.
It's Dongzhì, the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Weiwei's family has moved to a new place, where instead of hummingbirds, palm trees, and chrysanthemum bushes, all she sees is a blanket of snow. This frozen place feels nothing like home.
But Dongzhì is all about finding warmth through togetherness, even in the depths of winter. With her family by her side, maybe Weiwei can do more than just endure the cold.
Like the chickadees that sing and the méihua that bloom, can she open her heart and embrace the season?
Informational back matter provides further context about the holiday and its history, along with a recipe for tang yuan, a traditional Dongzhì treat
“A delectable celebration that will warm readers from the inside out.” —Kirkus Reviews
About Home is a Wish. . .
A deeply moving, gorgeously illustrated picture book about leaving home and finding a new place to fit in, for anyone dealing with a move, to another town or to a new country.
Sometimes we leave home in the mornings, in the evenings, or for much longer. But we always come back.
Home becomes a wish when we move, when the new place isn’t the same. Everything might be different: the sounds, the smell, the people, the weather.
But home isn’t just a place. We carry home in our hearts, and it can grow and change as we do in our lives. With time, new faces become friends, and what is different becomes familiar.
Home can be a wish that comes true.
Like Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away and The Day You Begin, this beautiful exploration of what it’s like to deal with a big change is personal, emotionally resonant, and relatable. With page after lovely page of captivating art, New York Times bestselling illustrator Julia Kuo has created a lasting story about how time, patience, and an open heart can help someone feel at home anywhere in the world.
"Share this picture book with readers struggling to adjust to a new place, offering them comfort and reassurance that home isn’t just a physical space—it’s something they can always carry with them in their hearts."
—Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books, starred review
Michelle Jing Chan is a queer Chinese American author-illustrator who creates picture books and comics for kids and teens. Although her education is in engineering and economics, her heart has always been in storytelling–especially empowering, diverse stories she would have loved as a kid! Michelle is the author-illustrator of the picture books: WEIWEI’S WINTER SOLSTICE, THE LUCKIEST LION DANCER, and EMERY IS NOT A DRAGON, as well as the young adult graphic novel SOMEWHERE IN THE GRAY. She has also illustrated several picture books, including MY LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK ABOUT PRIDE by Kyle Lukoff and STAY ANGRY LITTLE GIRL inspired by Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. Her books have earned awards from the Children’s Book Council, the Chinese American Librarians Association, King County Libraries, and Hindi’s Libraries. When she’s not hunching over her desk, you can find Michelle petting the neighborhood cats, cozying up with a book, or hunting for ghosts and cryptids in spooky games. Visit Michelle at www.michellejingchan.com or on social media @michellejingchan.
Julia Kuo is the author and illustrator of Let’s Do Everything and Nothing and Luminous: Living Things that Light Up the Night. She is the illustrator of several picture books including I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne and I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story by Martha Brockenbrough and Grace Lin. Julia has created editorial illustrations for publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. She currently lives in Bellevue, WA.
Want a signed edition of the featured book, but can't make it to the event? Order through our website or over the phone, and write your request for a signature or personalization in the comments field at checkout. Please call the hosting store if you're placing your order within 24 hours of the event.
For media or access inquiries, please email [email protected] or call our Lake Forest Park store at (206) 366-3311.
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Where is it happening?
17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA, United States, Washington 98155Event Location & Nearby Stays:
