Q&A with Ginger Park and Frances Park

 

 

 

Ginger Park and Frances Park are the authors of the new children's picture book Suka's Farm. Their other books include The Royal Bee. The sisters own a chocolate shop in Washington, D.C.

 

Q: Suka’s Farm is based on your family history--can you say more about that?

 

A: The story was inspired by our father’s impoverished boyhood days growing up during Japanese-occupied Korea. Every night, our father went to sleep to the sound of his own growling tummy.

 

At age 10, he was compelled to help put food on the table for his family, which prompted him to ask a Japanese farmer for work. Our father rose every morning at dawn to work before and after school, tending a herd of goats. Just like in the book, our mother told us that our father named each of his beloved goats.

 

Q: What do you think Tiffany Chen’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: Tiffany’s reimagination of a bygone era is nothing short of masterful. She brought the 1941 Korean landscape to life―the surrounding mountains, the endless fields, the clothing of yore―in breathtaking fashion. It’s like looking at photos from the past only in vibrant color.

 

In contrast, her cartoon-like portraits (and we mean that in the most positive light) gently complement a story about the harsh realities of Japanese-occupied Korea.

 

Q: How do the two of you collaborate on your books, including this one?

 

A: It’s a magical experience! Truly an organic process. One of us comes up with the idea and drafts out the story, then passes it on to the other. Funny thing is, we never talk about our work in the light of day―it’s our unspoken rule of collaboration.

 

Early on, in the ‘90s, our communications were handwritten comments in margins, eventually progressing to email. Now we use Gmail chat. Once the manuscript is “perfect,” we take turns reading the story out loud. Of course, there are always a few edits.

 

When we’re ready to submit to our awesome agent, Jennifer Unter, we do a celebratory high-five.

Q: What do you hope kids (and adults) take away from the story?

 

A: If children read Suka’s Farm and feel hope and inspiration, then we feel we have made a small contribution to the world. The book is a tribute to our father, the story a testament to his spirit during one of Korea’s most tumultuous eras.

 

Suka’s Farm focuses on small fields and the day-to-day life of a hungry boy with dreams, and of friendship and humanity. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Actually, we have a forthcoming picture book to share with your readers. My Sister’s Doljabi (Albert Whitman and Company, fall 2025) stars Hoon, a Korean boy, who helps his parents plan his baby sister's first birthday—the most important birthday for Koreans.

 

The celebration traditionally closes with a fun ceremony called the doljabi (which translates to "birthday grab"), where the baby is placed before a set of symbolic items and encouraged to choose one of the objects, which is thought to predict the baby's future.

 

What we’re working on… it’s sort of a secret, but hint, hint: It’s going to be a sweet picture book! As you know, when we’re not writing, you can usually find us at our sweet shop in the heart of Washington, D.C. Chocolate Chocolate is our happy place and the inspiration for our next work.

 

For 41 years, our beloved customers have stopped by our shop for their luscious bon bons and real-time chat. We’ve watched children grow up and young parents become grandparents.

 

Chocolate Chocolate has been deemed the “Cheers” of chocolate for good reason―our shop has always been a safe pause from the office chaos, the world’s woes. Whatever is happening out there, stays out there. For us, our shop has always been an extension of home where customers feel like family.

 

But the time has come to pass the chocolate torch to a new ownership. In honor of our 41 years behind the candy counter, we are going to write a picture book about Chocolate Chocolate and the love of our community.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: We’ll be at Politics and Prose on May 4 at 10:30am and Scrawl Books on May 10 at 10:30am.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Ginger Park.