It's clear from the moment you hold Little Monk Writes Rain by Hsu-Kung Liu, translated by Rachel Wang Yung-Hsin, that it's going to be a special book: it opens vertically! The interior is just as special, and it's my pleasure to share a behind-the-scenes look at how the book came together!
About the book:
As rain falls, Old Monk invites Little Monk to practice calligraphy. "Let's write the character for rain!" he says. And with each brushstroke, Little Monk's restless, anxious heart grows quiet.
For the next twenty years, as Little Monk becomes Big Monk, he sits down with his brush every day, meditating on and writing the character for "rain." Until one day someone comes to the temple asking for help: the city has no water. All grown up now, Big Monk packs his things, hoping to do his part. But will a pile of calligraphy sheets make any difference?
Check out the endpapers:
Let's talk Hsu-Kung Liu!
HKL: I once wondered: Is it possible that what we draw could become real? From this simple question, the story of a little monk writing the word “rain” came to me—and somehow, the rain truly begins to fall.
I’ve always been curious about rain. Since we cannot see water in the air, where does it come from? That mystery felt wonderful to me.
I chose a little monk as the main character because monks are sometimes seen as distant from society, yet I deeply respect their dedication to understanding themselves. In a way, this story is not only about rain, but also about an inner journey—a quiet process of looking inward and discovering meaning.
LTPB: This book is bound horizontally, so pages move from bottom to top instead of left to right. Can you talk about why you did this for this particular story?
HKL: This story has an oriental feeling, and I wanted the illustrations to look a little like traditional Chinese ink paintings. In many ink paintings, the composition is vertical, and there are often words written on the painting as part of the artwork. Because of that, a bottom-to-top page movement felt natural for this story.
Turning the pages upward also creates a feeling of the rain slowly falling from the sky, which fits the theme of the book.
Another reason is simply that I had never made a book bound this way before. Since there was a chance, I wanted to try something new and explore a different reading experience for the reader.
LTPB: What did you find most difficult in creating this book? What did you find most rewarding?
HKL: The most difficult part of creating this book was the painting process, including the sketches, the composition, and the final illustrations. I used different materials while working on the images, so sometimes the styles did not look completely consistent. At first, this worried me, because I wanted the whole book to feel unified. In the end, I learned to accept those small differences and see them as part of the book’s character.
The most rewarding moment was when I finally finished all the paintings and saw them come together as a complete book. After spending so much time on each image, it felt very special to hold the finished book in my hands and see the story fully realized.
LTPB: What did you use to create the illustrations in this book? Is this your preferred medium? How does your process change from book to book?
HKL: In the first part of the book, I used colored ink and pencil. In the later part, I used acrylic. These are not necessarily my favorite materials, although I do use acrylic quite often in my work.
For each book, I like to experiment with different mediums. I usually start with an idea and write it down, then make some sketches. After that, I try different materials to see which one feels most suitable for the story, and then I continue developing the illustrations from there.
Sometimes I also like to make small picture books just for fun, not for a publisher or a specific project. I draw them freely and try not to think too much about the result. Those little books often remind me why making picture books is so enjoyable.
LTPB: What are you working on now? Anything you can show us?
HKL: Right now I am working on two projects.
One is a humorous story about a pig who seems to be a superhero because of a series of misunderstandings. The book is designed with die-cuts. Whenever something unfortunate happens to the pig, the rabbit only sees part of the scene through the die-cut holes. Because something else is hidden from her view, she believes the pig is performing some kind of amazing magic. So in the rabbit’s eyes, the pig slowly becomes a superhero. It’s a playful and visual story.
The other project is about a little car living in a city. One day, the car stops to let a boy cross the street. After that, the other cars criticize him, because they believe cars should always move fast and never stop for people.
Through this story, I want to explore two different kinds of values. In the world of cars, value is measured by speed and efficiency. But in the world of people, value can also come from slowing down and enjoying life. I hope readers can think about which kind of value feels right for them.
LTPB: If you got the chance to write your own picture book autobiography, who (dead or alive!) would you want to illustrate it, and why?
HKL: If I could write my own picture book autobiography, there are two illustrators I would love to work with.
The first is Emma Hsu, a Taiwanese picture book author. She creates books about nature, birds, cooking, and parent-child life. I admire her wide range of interests and the passion she brings to every story.
The second is Jon Agee, a well-known American picture book author. I love his illustrations, especially the way he mixes humor with deeper philosophical ideas. His books have a calm, relaxed atmosphere that I find very inspiring.
Thank you so much to Liu for talking to me about this gorgeous and unique book. Little Monk Writes Rain published this month from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers!
Special thanks to Liu and Eerdmans for use of these images!
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