Christine Alemshah is the author of the new children's picture book Bea's Balikbayan Box of Treasures. She lives in Lake Forest, California.
Q: What inspired you to write Bea’s Balikbayan Box of Treasures, and how did you create your character Bea?
A: When I began writing Bea’s story, my priority was to celebrate her Filipino heritage and the cherished family tradition of the balikbayan box. Through personal experiences and watching videos of family preparing and receiving these boxes, I could feel the love and connection, and wanted to share that experience with young readers.
I have given a lot of thought to the “mirrors and windows” approach in children’s literature. Mirrors for kids to see themselves reflected and windows for others to understand new cultures.
On a broader scale, I asked myself how I could bring this tradition to a wider audience. The answer came from the box itself. I wanted to invite children into the experience through something universally relatable: imaginative play.
Bea is an adventurer at heart who loves her family. She reminds me of my own children as well as my childhood memories of building cardboard box forts. It was a joy to create her world!
Q: What do you think Dream Chen’s illustrations add to the book?
A: Dream’s illustrations are absolutely enchanting. They bring such warmth, vibrancy, and joy to Bea’s story. I love how she captures both the tender family moments and the exuberant scenes of imaginative play.
Her art is full of charming details, such as the swirling calendar pages that sweep across the page to show Bea’s anticipation as she waits for her balikbayan box to arrive. Dream gave the book a visual heart that feels both intimate and celebratory.
Q: What do you think the book says about family connections?
A: Bea’s story demonstrates that family connections can remain strong even across great distances and provides inspiration for families to show love for one another, whether through creating care packages, writing letters, preparing gifts, or sharing experiences.
I wanted to instill the idea that family love and imagination are universal and can be shared even across great distances.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?
A: I hope kids come away with a sense of joy, curiosity, and belonging.
For Filipino children, I want Bea’s story to feel like a mirror celebrating their heritage and family traditions.
For other readers, I hope it serves as a window into a beautiful cultural practice, perhaps similar in ways to their own family traditions, while showing that love, family, and imagination are universal.
For all children, my wish is that they feel inspired by Bea’s playfulness to create their own unique projects. So far, I’ve received several photos from readers of their cardboard creations. That fills my author soul with so much joy when I observe children enjoying and interacting with Bea’s story that way!
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m excited to be out on submission with several projects! Some share a similar vibe with Bea—celebrations of heritage, connection, and family, while others are humorous, interactive picture books or board books.
I’m also a classically trained vocalist turned karaoke singer, so a few of my stories are inspired by music. I also have a humorous monkey book in the works and look forward to sharing it. It’s an exciting, creative season!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Representation matters deeply to me. I want to write stories that honor children from multiple cultural backgrounds, especially those who may feel “in-between” as I did while growing up.
Bea’s story is about connection, but it’s also about identity and finding one's place. I hope it opens doors for kids to talk about their own traditions and see that their stories are worth celebrating.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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