San Francisco author teams up with animators to give life to Chinese zodiac
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- It's a chilly morning in San Francisco and Oliver Chin has another stop to make.
Chin has been busy driving to schools and libraries all over the Bay Area since the start of Chinese New Year.
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On this day, he is talking to kids at Rooftop School about the Chinese zodiac.
Twelve years ago, Chin began writing a book a year on each of the animals of the zodiac. The series is called "Tales of the Chinese Zodiac."
"The books are not about a particular tradition of Chinese New Year, but about how a boy or girl animal grows up, just like a child does, and has to learn about the world and find their place within," explained Chin.
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This year's book is about a dog named Daniel who must rely on his traits as a loyal companion to as he sets off on several adventures.
"The Chinese-American community is gratified to see Asian characters. It's important to share parts of Asian-American culture," said Chin.
If the books have a familiar look. That's because his publishing company, Immedium, worked with animators that have worked on movies and television shows for Disney, Nickelodeon, and Dreamworks.
Chin's next project is a series of books Asian inventions. The first one tells the story of how ramen was created.
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