Today I'm very pleased to present a peek into the illustration process for the book How to Grow a Family Tree, written by Bea Birdsong and illustrated by Jasu Hu. It was so fun getting insight into how Jasu created the visual narrative and where she drew her inspiration from. Happy reading!
About the book:
Can a family tree be found? A girl stresses over her heritage-mapping school assignment, until she realizes family is all around—her neighbors and friends.
All week, Emmylou’s classmates get up and present their family trees. These trees are thick with branches, and there are stories to go with each face and name. Emmylou’s tree is almost bare. There’s her, Mama, and the names Mama won’t say—the stories she doesn’t tell.
By the end of the week, Emmylou wants the project to be over. She doesn’t want to think about her family tree at all. After all, she only has one family recipe, the one she trades with Mrs. Patel for her mango chutney. She has no aunts or cousins—only Rosa next door to watch Emmylou after school. No siblings—only Rosa’s baby twins for Emmylou to play peek-a-boo with. No zayde like Eli’s to teach her to ride a bike—only Mr. Li, who doesn’t complain when she runs over his foot.
Finally Emmylou knows what to tell her class. Her family isn’t so small—she just had to look for it.
All week, Emmylou’s classmates get up and present their family trees. These trees are thick with branches, and there are stories to go with each face and name. Emmylou’s tree is almost bare. There’s her, Mama, and the names Mama won’t say—the stories she doesn’t tell.
By the end of the week, Emmylou wants the project to be over. She doesn’t want to think about her family tree at all. After all, she only has one family recipe, the one she trades with Mrs. Patel for her mango chutney. She has no aunts or cousins—only Rosa next door to watch Emmylou after school. No siblings—only Rosa’s baby twins for Emmylou to play peek-a-boo with. No zayde like Eli’s to teach her to ride a bike—only Mr. Li, who doesn’t complain when she runs over his foot.
Finally Emmylou knows what to tell her class. Her family isn’t so small—she just had to look for it.
Check out the endpapers:
Let's talk Jasu Hu!
LTPB: How did you become the illustrator of How to Grow a Family Tree? What were the first images that appeared when you encountered Bea Birdsong’s text?
JH: Back in 2019, I was honored when Holiday House/Neal Porter Books asked me to illustrate my first picture book, All You Need (which came out in 2022). After that, we worked together again on Wintergarden (published in 2023). Before that, my work was primarily for magazines, newspapers, and advertisements—but Neal, my editor, and Jennifer, my art director, offered such generous trust and freedom, gently guiding me into this new world of picture books. I soon fell in love with the process, and we've continued to collaborate ever since. When I first read Bea’s manuscript, I felt an immediate connection with the protagonist—her solitude, her warmth. This is a story about becoming, about shaping a family tree not only by roots but by choice. And the very first image that popped into my head was of a girl with red hair, sitting alone in the branches—a little lonely, yet wrapped in a soft, persistent warmth.
LTPB: What was the most challenging part of creating How to Grow a Family Tree? And what felt most rewarding?
JH: This book was a journey—both demanding and deeply fulfilling. In fact, I created two complete versions, redrawing everything from initial sketches to final art. The process stretched over two years. The protagonist is a sensitive child with partial hearing loss, and her experience of reconciling with herself, with silence, and with solitude is woven subtly throughout the text. The greatest challenge was to translate these delicate emotions into visuals that felt poetic, not literal. For months, I searched for a visual thread. Then, one autumn day in 2023, as I was reworking the storyboard, I noticed a golden ginkgo leaf outside my door. I picked it up, held it in my palm, and saw it—the shape of an ear, the veins like a tree growing within. In that moment, everything quietly fell into place.
LTPB: What is your first step when a new project arrives? How do you adapt your artistic style to fit different manuscripts?
JH: When a new story comes to me, I don’t start with drawing. I let it linger in my thoughts, allowing impressions to slowly merge with my own memories and feelings—until the world of the book takes root inside me. Only then do I step fully into its atmosphere, sensing what the characters sense. As I work, I become not only the child in the story, but also the tree, the house, the stone, the cat… Each has its own inherent beauty; form and color arise almost instinctively, guided by the brush.
I’ve always believed that style is the sum of a life, of all we’ve lived and felt at a particular time. So it’s always shifting, always evolving. When I read a text, I try to become its author—feeling the rhythm, the emotional undertow, blending it with my own experiences. Choosing a style is like selecting what to wear for a particular day: each voice, each story, demands its own texture and tone. I love thinking of a book as architecture—something built with care, full of hidden spaces and soft light.
LTPB: What materials did you use for the illustrations in this book? Is this your preferred medium? How does your process shift from one book to another?
JH: For this book, I blended traditional and digital media, incorporating watercolor, scanned textures, and custom digital brushes that mimic the flow of paint. Before picture books, I often worked digitally, drawn to their vibrant color and textured edges. It helped me cultivate a distinct voice through years of editorial work.
However, while illustrating All You Need, I wandered into the world of watercolor and was captivated by its softness and spontaneity. The wet-on-wet technique, especially, felt like a quiet conversation between pigment and paper. I carried that intimacy into Wintergarden, where I experimented with salt textures to evoke the stillness of winter frost. I still remember the joy of finding just the right balance of water and salt. With Family Tree, I wanted to try something new again—merging pencil sketches, collage, watercolor, and digital layers. It was my first time uniting my digital sensibility with the tenderness of hand-painted texture. The result combines both softness and depth, allowing me the time to move slowly and thoughtfully. This approach also influenced my illustrations for “Mary Oliver: Holding On to Wonder.” I’ve loved exploring these different mediums, and I hope each new story will invite another beautiful experiment.
LTPB: What are you working on now? Is there anything you can share?
JH: I’m currently illustrating a book about QUIET—and the act of protecting it. It follows environmentalist Gordon Hempton, who created the "One Square Inch of Silence" in Washington’s Olympic National Park, a place he defends from human-made noise. It’s said to be the quietest place in the United States. This book is scheduled for publication in 2027. I feel a deep resonance with Gordon’s mission and his approach to life. The story unfolds in an ancient forest, lush with moss and fern. Near my studio, there’s a small, moss-covered corner I often visit. I like to kneel down and observe its subtle, daily transformations—there’s so much beauty in those quiet details.
LTPB: If you could have anyone illustrate your own picture book autobiography, who would you choose, and why?
JH: I must confess—this draws more from my love of manga than pure picture books—but I’ve been deeply moved by the work of Japanese manga artist, Chica Umino, throughout my teenagehood. Her manga stories always touch a tender place in my heart. She draws every character with such love and care. I, too, hope to become an author who guards and nurtures the souls I draw. My first illustrated picture book, All You Need, was inspired by my personal artistic journey. When I was working on it, I listened to the soundtrack of the anime adaptation of Honey and Clover (based on Chica Umino’s work) a lot. So if my life were ever turned into a book or a character, and if she were the one to illustrate it… I like to imagine that character Jasu would grow up well-loved and deeply happy inside her world.
JH: Back in 2019, I was honored when Holiday House/Neal Porter Books asked me to illustrate my first picture book, All You Need (which came out in 2022). After that, we worked together again on Wintergarden (published in 2023). Before that, my work was primarily for magazines, newspapers, and advertisements—but Neal, my editor, and Jennifer, my art director, offered such generous trust and freedom, gently guiding me into this new world of picture books. I soon fell in love with the process, and we've continued to collaborate ever since. When I first read Bea’s manuscript, I felt an immediate connection with the protagonist—her solitude, her warmth. This is a story about becoming, about shaping a family tree not only by roots but by choice. And the very first image that popped into my head was of a girl with red hair, sitting alone in the branches—a little lonely, yet wrapped in a soft, persistent warmth.
JH: This book was a journey—both demanding and deeply fulfilling. In fact, I created two complete versions, redrawing everything from initial sketches to final art. The process stretched over two years. The protagonist is a sensitive child with partial hearing loss, and her experience of reconciling with herself, with silence, and with solitude is woven subtly throughout the text. The greatest challenge was to translate these delicate emotions into visuals that felt poetic, not literal. For months, I searched for a visual thread. Then, one autumn day in 2023, as I was reworking the storyboard, I noticed a golden ginkgo leaf outside my door. I picked it up, held it in my palm, and saw it—the shape of an ear, the veins like a tree growing within. In that moment, everything quietly fell into place.
JH: When a new story comes to me, I don’t start with drawing. I let it linger in my thoughts, allowing impressions to slowly merge with my own memories and feelings—until the world of the book takes root inside me. Only then do I step fully into its atmosphere, sensing what the characters sense. As I work, I become not only the child in the story, but also the tree, the house, the stone, the cat… Each has its own inherent beauty; form and color arise almost instinctively, guided by the brush.
LTPB: What materials did you use for the illustrations in this book? Is this your preferred medium? How does your process shift from one book to another?
JH: For this book, I blended traditional and digital media, incorporating watercolor, scanned textures, and custom digital brushes that mimic the flow of paint. Before picture books, I often worked digitally, drawn to their vibrant color and textured edges. It helped me cultivate a distinct voice through years of editorial work.
JH: I’m currently illustrating a book about QUIET—and the act of protecting it. It follows environmentalist Gordon Hempton, who created the "One Square Inch of Silence" in Washington’s Olympic National Park, a place he defends from human-made noise. It’s said to be the quietest place in the United States. This book is scheduled for publication in 2027. I feel a deep resonance with Gordon’s mission and his approach to life. The story unfolds in an ancient forest, lush with moss and fern. Near my studio, there’s a small, moss-covered corner I often visit. I like to kneel down and observe its subtle, daily transformations—there’s so much beauty in those quiet details.
JH: I must confess—this draws more from my love of manga than pure picture books—but I’ve been deeply moved by the work of Japanese manga artist, Chica Umino, throughout my teenagehood. Her manga stories always touch a tender place in my heart. She draws every character with such love and care. I, too, hope to become an author who guards and nurtures the souls I draw. My first illustrated picture book, All You Need, was inspired by my personal artistic journey. When I was working on it, I listened to the soundtrack of the anime adaptation of Honey and Clover (based on Chica Umino’s work) a lot. So if my life were ever turned into a book or a character, and if she were the one to illustrate it… I like to imagine that character Jasu would grow up well-loved and deeply happy inside her world.
Thank you so much to Jasu for talking to me about this beautuiful book! How to Grow a Family Tree published last month from Neal Porter Books!
Special thanks to Jasu and Neal Porter for use of these images!
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