Meet Michele Wong McSween | Author & Creator of Gordon & Li Li

I’m 4th generation Chinese-American from Sacramento, California. I grew up surrounded by a big Chinese family and an even bigger extended Chinese family, but our neighborhood was predominately White and so were my friends. As a kid, I remember wishing I had blond hair and blue eyes like many of my friends. I wasn’t embarrassed about being Chinese, I just didn’t want to draw attention to it. I was what other Asians referred to as a “Twinkie” or “Bamboo”, Asian on the outside and ‘White’ or hollow in the inside. I’d celebrate Chinese New Year, eat dim sum, and go to church with my family, but I didn’t speak Chinese or feel Chinese. I just looked Chinese. The values of working hard, respecting my elders, and always doing my best were deeply ingrained in me, but I was lacking feeling connected to my Chinese heritage.

It wasn’t until I moved to New York and became immersed in the beautiful, diverse cultures of the city, that I began to appreciate my own. I began to feel proud of my heritage. I began to seek out opportunities to learn about my culture. I became, what I like to call, a ‘Born-Again Chinese Woman’.
When I had my own children, I was determined to teach them about our culture, early on, so they’d feel proud of their Chinese heritage. I wanted them to connect with all the things that I grew to love about being Chinese: the food, the community, the customs, our values, and the language.
Gordon & Li Li is a result of that passion. Ensuring that my own children would have resources that supported our family’s journey, pushed me to create Gordon & Li Li’s First Mandarin Words book series. It’s a loving tribute to my Chinese heritage that I hope inspires others to learn about the Chinese culture, while learning Mandarin in a simple, fun, and easy way.

Fourteen years ago, out of desperation for wanting a book series to introduce my young children to the Mandarin language, I began my journey to create it. I had no idea where to begin. I just knew that I was tired of being frustrated because what I wanted – an easy way to introduce my sons to the Mandarin language and culture — didn’t exist. The only solution was to create it myself.

As a former fashion designer, I could envision exactly what I wanted it to look like. I saw a cute, colorful, engaging, and fun board book series that children would want to pick up and read over and over again. I wanted it to be approachable and not intimidating so non-Chinese speaking families like ours, with little to no knowledge of the language, could easily and successfully learn Mandarin. I’m proud that Gordon & Li Li is the first Mandarin Chinese bilingual board book series to accomplish this! But it wasn’t easy.

When people ask me how I created Gordon & Li Li, I always say, “The good, old-fashioned way”. I took a class on how to write a children’s book, I bought books on how to self-publish, and Googled everything I could find on self-publishing. The more I learned about writing a book and self-publishing the more overwhelmed and intimidated I became. But my passion and desire to create these books overruled my fears.

Over a year — and a lot of bumps in the road — later, 5,000 copies of Gordon & Li Li: Words for Everyday were delivered to my apartment in Brooklyn. My feeling of pride and elation was soon taken over by intense feelings of panic because now I had to figure out how to sell these books!

Since this was 2008, before Instagram, I couldn’t simply post a book launch announcement with an exciting giveaway, like nowadays. I had to rely on the ‘good, old-fashioned way’ again by sending emails and selling my book door-to-door. It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do; putting myself out there, pitching my story, and waiting for the buyers to take pity on me and order one copy. I volunteered to do read-alouds in my sons’ schools, I reached out to Asian museums, kid’s museums, kid’s stores and play spaces to host book events. It was challenging, tiring, and exhausting. But, over time I slowly built relationships with these organizations and, to this day, we still plan many events together.

In 2010, I released two more titles, Gordon & Li Li: Learn Animals in Mandarin and Gordon & Li L: Count in Mandarin. Two years later, when my sons were aging out of my books, desperation again led me to create Gordon & Li Li: Learn Animals in Mandarin App. I saw how my kids loved learning and exploring on iPads, so I created fun features in this app to keep them engaged with learning Mandarin.

After 8 years of selling books, hosting book events, visiting museums and schools, and connecting with enthusiastic families along the way, I approached Scholastic Inc. about acquiring my three titles. I gave them the pitch of my life and it worked! In 2018, My First Mandarin Words With Gordon & Li Li was released by Scholastic Inc.,10 years after I self-published my very first book.

In the past four years, I’ve returned to my fashion design roots and created a small capsule of merchandise (t-shirts, onesies, hoodies, sweaters, buttons, and totes), designed and created Gordon & Li Li plushies, and finished my 7^th title, Gordon & Li Li: Colors in Mandarin, coming this Lunar New Year 2023.

I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to be able to create the world of Gordon & Li Li – introducing children and families to the Mandarin language and culture — the ‘good, old-fashioned way’!

If my best friend was visiting me in NYC, this is the itinerary I’d love to take her on:

My Neighborhood – Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It’s become one of the hippest neighborhoods in NYC with endless bars, restaurants, shops, and great people watching.
Coffee – Marlow & Sons
Shopping – Bedford Ave, Wythe Ave, North 3rd St, Beacon’s Closet
Lunch – Win Son
Hang out at Domino Park to watch the sunset
Drinks – Westlight in The William Vale Hotel
Dinner – Diner

My favorite place to spend the day – Chinatown. This is a place where we can experience a full day of eating, grocery shopping, absorbing culture, and getting reflexology, all within a 4-block radius!
Dim sum – Jing Fong
Exploring – Museum of Chinese in America, Pearl River Mart, Canal St, Mott St
Bubble Tea – Alimama, Miss Du’s Teashop, Tiger Sugar, Ten Ren’s Tea…
Snacks – Mei Lai Wah Bakery, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, Tasty Dumpling
Reflexology – Fishion Herb Center
Grocery Shopping – Hong Kong Supermarket, New Kam Man Supermarket, Deluxe Food Market
Dinner – Chinese Tuxedo

A subway Brooklyn outing – Take the train for a two-in-one visit to the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Coffee – Oslo Coffee Roasters
Culture – Brooklyn Museum
Hangout & picnic – Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Dinner – Bonnie’s

Downtown Manhattan Culture Day – We’ll need our walking shoes for this one!
Breakfast – Chelsea Market
Explore – Walk the High Line, visit The Whitney Museum, Chelsea galleries
Lunch – RH Rooftop Restaurant
Dinner & Jazz – Blue Note

Uptown Excursion – More walking, shopping, people watching & exploring.
Breakfast – Friedman’s
Shopping – 5th Avenue
Lunch – Serafina
Explore & hangout – Central Park
Sweet treat – Ladurée
Dinner – Gallaghers Steakhouse

Self-Care Day at Sojo Spa Club – Just across the Hudson River in Edgewater, New Jersey, this spa is an all-day wellness experience!
Dining, treatments & lounging – Think massages, Korean Body Scrubs, saunas, pools, therapy rooms, baths and more!
Shopping & eating – Mitsuwa Marketplace, across the street, is a Japanese superstore with food court.

Glamping on Governor’s Island – A short ferry ride to a luxury camping oasis in the middle of New York Harbor.
Unparalleled views of the city? Cocktails over a campfires? Fine outdoor dining? Biking & hiking? Spa services? Yes, please!!!

I wouldn’t be where I am today without the love and supportive from my parents and family. They are my biggest cheerleaders, advisors, and source of inspiration. Throughout my entire life, they provided me with words of encouragement, sound advice, and generous and unconditional love. In addition, my great-grandparents and grandparents laid the foundation for my family by instilling strong family values, the importance of following your dreams, working hard to achieve them, and living a life full of gratitude. These generational blessings are what I treasure most about my family and I’m proud to pass them onto my own children through Gordon & Li Li and beyond.