ken min

Ken grew up on the works of Margret & H.A. Rey, William Joyce, and DC Comics. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and studied illustration at Art Center, College of Design. He has storyboarded for various commercials and animated TV shows such as The PJs, Futurama and Fairly Odd Parents. His illustration work has been recognized numerous times by the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI). In 2012, the first picture book he illustrated, Hot, Hot Roti For Dada-Ji, received the Picture Book Honor Award for Literature from the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA). These days, you will find Ken illustrating, storyboarding, writing, and dreaming up stories for children.

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I’m not a coffee drinker (wha-?? that’s outrageous!) so when I’m in the mood for a hot beverage, I like a cup of tea or hot chocolate. BUT, I will say, nothing says literature like a cup of hot cocoa in an F. Scott Fitzgerald mug!

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: What Does it Mean To Be An Entrepreneur?, written by Rana DiOrio and Emma D. Dryden (Little Pickle Press, January 2016) and Ah-Choo!, written by Lana Wayne Koehler and Gloria G. Adams (Sterling, March 1, 2016).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOKS: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1960), The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman and Marla Frazee (HMH Books, 1997), The Book That Eats People by John Perry and Mark Fearing (Tricycle Press, 2009), Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex (HMH Books, 2011).

☕ Visit Ken Min’s Official Website

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Click here to read how Ken made the pictures for What Does it Mean To Be An Entrepreneur?!

☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Click the image below to read my review of Ken’s first book, Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji!

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Are you hungry, baba?

You’ve come to the right place! Let’s fire up the skillet and cook some lip-smacking, oh-so-yummy, belly-rubbing roti!

Harry R/flickr

There’s so much more to this homey unleavened Indian flatbread than meets the eye (or the stomach). Yes, it’s perfect for scooping up curries and vegetables (love love it with dahl), but did you know it also has the power to inspire really good stories? Hunh-ji! Yes Sir!

Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji (Lee & Low Books, 2011) contains all the ingredients I love most in a children’s story: food, family, and high octane fun. I can say unequivocally that it’s my favorite picture book thus far about contemporary Indian American life. How to blend the old with the new? Find an interesting way to bridge the generations? Introduce young readers to an unfamiliar culture? Lace a story with tasty specifics that tap into universal themes? Debut author F. Zia accomplishes all these things with her beautifully crafted “story within a story” that never misses a beat and is an absolute hoot to read aloud.

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