BOOKS

Grace Chang was born in Beijing, China, into a family of famous entertainers. She learned magic tricks as a child from her grandfather in the courtyards of The Forbidden City to which she lived next door. Some years later, Grace became the ringmaster and star illusionist in an internationally acclaimed Chinese circus. As a little girl, she often sat with her father while he wrote his shows, and she dreamed of becoming a writer herself one day.

The tale of Jin Jin the Dragon is based on a bedtime story that Grace used to tell her son Chad. Now Jin Jin is a character that has come to life not only in Grace’s books but as a puppet at her book readings. Grace has captivated audiences by literally breathing life into Jin Jin as a ventriloquist puppeteer. Her book readings are a mix of storytelling and magic tricks. It should be no surprise that Grace has also appeared on stage and screen in both China and the United States, including the film, The Joy Luck Club. She has also spent many years helping families to adopt babies from China and estimates that she has placed over 2,000 in the U.S. Grace lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son. Jin Jin the Dragon is her first book. Through the Jin Jin book series, readers will learn about Chinese culture, the origin of Chinese characters and the lore of Chinese dragons.

Grace is the author of Jin Jin the Dragon and Jin Jin and Rain Wizard. Now a growing children book series, more Jin Jin books are in the works. The Jin Jin books are available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.