Today on the HarperStacks Blog, author Katrina Moore and illustrator Cornelia Li chat about the importance of fairytales and folktales, their inspiration for creating Chang’e On The Moon, and ask each other a question about the book’s creation.

Fairy tales and folk tales are such a staple of children’s literature, especially in classrooms and libraries. Why do you feel it’s important for teachers/librarians to bring stories like this one into the canon?

Cornelia: Fairytales and folktales are windows to different culture’s traditions, values, and history in an entertaining manner for young readers. By nature,
Fairy tales and folk tales are an important step in the introduction of different cultural values and insights to young readers through storytelling. By nature, these tales are diverse; they convey the history, reinforce cultural values, and highlight traditions. Fairy tales and folk tales often explore the universal themes of love, courage, good and evil, and when children read about these themes through the perspective of different communities, they are opened to the complexity of these themes.

For example, in the story of Chang'E, to prevent the evil Peng Meng from gaining immortality, Chang'E drank the elixir herself to protect her community and loved ones, even if that means being physically apart from them. This differs from many of the western fairytales, where the heroes often have a happily ever after ending together with their loved ones after the evil is defeated. While this may be a more emotionally challenging ending for some young readers, it also conveys to them another form of expression of love, one of protection and self-sacrifice. On a more lighthearted note, fairy tales and folk tales from various cultures open new windows of adventures, magic, and wonders for young readers through entertaining and engaging tales, allowing them to expand their horizons while establishing a deeper connection with their own cultural roots and community.

Katrina: As Cornelia mentioned, these stories are often children’s first introduction into rich storytelling, cultures, and lives outside of their immediate community. It opens their eyes and hearts to the larger world. As such, these stories imprint in their minds . . . what characteristics do we value as a society? And who gets to be the hero? Chang’e On The Moon diversifies the canon of fairy tales and folk tales, allowing more children to connect with the characters in this story, and to see themselves as hero-worthy. For little me, who thought that the only princess and hero-worthy girls were ones who did not look like me—because there wasn’t accessible literature or media that showed me otherwise, hearing and having a story like Chang’e On The Moon would have meant a world of a difference to me. I’m so glad that we’re making this legend, of love, of protection, of what it means to be strong—available to a larger global audience.

Can you speak to your inspiration when creating this book?

Katrina: I mention in my author’s note at the end of the book how there are many iterations of this legend, especially since it’s been told and passed down since the first recorded dynasty in Chinese history. Sometimes, Chang’E is depicted as a hero fleeing a horrible king, and other times her story is a cautionary tale of a human following selfish desires, but she is always described as beloved and beautiful. When refreshing this legend, both my editor and I felt strongly that we focus on modernizing these two heroes, Chang’E and her husband, Hou Yi, and to shine light on their admirable inner qualities: strength, courage, compassion, kindness, and goodwill. I know as an early childhood educator of over a decade, and as a parent, and as a former child, that young people are seeking connection. They are curious and smart. When they find a character that they like, they will connect with them. By focusing on the character’s inner qualities, I hope to allow deeper connections with young readers that will ultimately nurture their own courage, confidence, and agency as they head into the world.

Cornelia: To celebrate the cultural heritage of Chang'E, I took many stylistic inspiration from various forms of art in Chinese history, namely ink paintings, and the mineral pigment murals from Tang Dynasty. This influenced the stylization of the characters, settings, and the use of colour and textures. When sketching the scenes for each of the spreads, I utilized atmospheric perspective and abstraction for background treatments often seen in ink paintings, to evoke an otherworldly mood to reflect the timeless of the story. For the final illustrations, the paintings are done using calligraphy brushes and sumi ink on rice paper with an emphasis on brushstrokes and texture. When brought into Photoshop for digital colouring, I used many reds and turquoise hues, mimicking vermillion, lazurite, gold foils, and other common minerals used in murals.

Katrina: Cornelia, your illustrations for this book are absolutely breathtaking. The passion and love you poured into every stroke is tangible. Can you share a bit about your process for creating the art?

Cornelia: Chang'E was definitely a passion project for me! As mentioned above, I took many inspirations from traditional Chinese ink paintings and mineral art murals from centuries ago, as well as some contemporary artists well versed in these artistic practices. The process for creating Chang'E is similar to how I create my other picture books. I first start with character designs to set the tone and mood for the whole book. I didn't want to pinpoint the character designs to any specific dynastic period, though as the earliest iteration of the story dates all the way back to the first recorded dynasty of Chinese history, the characters were designed with influences of prehistoric and early historic attires, particularly Houyi. For Chang'E, I included visual elements commonly recognizable to the character, such as the flowy dress, and the double looped hair style.

For creating the final illustration, I painted black and white paintings using calligraphy brushes on rice paper, scanned them, and coloured them digitally. I especially paid attention to the treatment of the edges and layering to create a dreamy atmosphere.

Cornelia: Katrina, the Everlasting Tales is a series that shares folk tales from different cultures, and I'm really happy that we get to be the creators for the first one in the series! Among the many mythology and folk tales from Chinese culture, can you share why Chang'E's story was chosen?

You’re right! There are so many wonderful, and some wonderfully strange fairytales and folk talks to choose from in the Chinese culture. I wanted to pick one that was tied to holidays celebrated in China such as The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd associated with Chinese Valentine’s Day, and the Legend of the White Snake and its tie to the Dragon Boat festival, and I also love the tale of Princess Lily. Ultimately, though, Chang’E and Hou Yi’s story—an epic legend that highlights love’s strong power, wide reach, and ability to transcend distance, physical being, and even time, was the winner. I knew I had to retell, for a fresh audience, the origin story for this empowering heroine and how she came to become the moon goddess. Also, the Moon Festival/Mid-Autumn Festival, which is associated with Chang’E, is one of my favorites to celebrate with my family every year, so this really felt like the one!

I’m excited for readers to experience Chang’e On The Moon, to be swept away by the lush art and world within the pages, and to feel fully enchanted by this story!