Pamana Children’s Library-From the Author’s Desk

Featuring this April is also Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young, the author of Cora Cooks Pancit. This heartwarming children’s book brings Filipino-American culture to life through the story of a young girl learning to cook pancit, a cherished family dish. With a rich, multicultural background, Dorina shares her personal connection to food, family, and heritage in this beautifully illustrated story. In this feature, Dorina discusses her journey into children’s literature, the inspiration behind Cora Cooks Pancit, and the importance of passing down cultural traditions through storytelling. Don’t miss her insights on how books like Cora Cooks Pancit help children connect with their heritage and the power of family. Watch her video to learn more about her inspiring journey and the story behind the book!

Behind the Story of Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

Transcript:

Hi there friends, my name is Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young and I am a children’s book author. I am from a multi-racial family, so we bring together cultures from many worlds. My dad’s side is predominately Filipino but also Polynesian and Chinese, and my mom’s side is Italian. And then I married into a family that is also Chinese-American. So, I grew up believing that being multiracial or biracial was a superpower. It was something that allowed me to be a bridge.

I wrote a book called Cora Cooks Pancit. It is about a young Filipino-American girl who is learning how to cook a favorite Filipino dish called pancit. Pancit is a noodle dish that is often made with different types of meat depending on your family’s preference—we like to make chicken pancit in our family—and then lots of yummy vegetables as well.

And so one of my main goals in writing Cora Cooks Pancit was to preserve the legacy and the recipe of this special dish. Now this is a dish that my grandparents often made, and I loved it because whenever we were going to a family party, maybe a baby shower or a graduation, we would have pancit and lumpia, which is kind of like egg rolls – Filipino egg rolls. And so, I wanted people to be able to celebrate this dish that every family makes a little bit differently. I also wanted to celebrate the legacy of my grandparents, and particularly my grandma, who was an amazing cook and an artist as well.

I chose to write about pancit more so than some of the other Filipino dishes because I think it is a very relatable dish. Almost every culture of the world has some kind of noodle dish. And so, it’s an opportunity then for me to share about noodles and about cultures and about different ways of preparing noodles, maybe different spices or sauces that are used in Filipino culture. And kids from all different backgrounds get excited about it.

Food is such an important part of who we are. And it is also very important in communicating our cultural heritage. I have had the opportunity over the last decade to speak to a lot of kids’ groups in schools and libraries and local bookstores. And so, using the story of Cora Cooks Pancit, I am able then to share about my cultural heritage and even to educate people about Filipino-American culture.

The value of books like Cora Cooks Pancit is to educate children about culture, about Filipino culture. And so, it’s kind of twofold because what I’ve discovered is that there are kids who are familiar with Filipino culture or they have Filipino descent themselves, and they get excited about reading a book like Cora. Then there are also kids maybe who don’t have exposure or who maybe have a friend that is Filipino in background, and when they read this book, then they get to learn more about our culture, about who we are.

Now, I understand that Cora Cooks Pancit is part of the [Pamana] library collection, and it’s been featured as part of the storytime book at one of the events for kids. I hope that the visitors to Pamana take away from my book this idea that family and food is important. That we all can come together at the table and we can learn together. And recipes are stories: they’re stories about family legacy. Recipes are again that way that we can be connected with our ancestors and elders. And so, that’s something I want to celebrate through this book.

I have worked with several different illustrators in my time as a children’s book writer, and I love the illustrations in Cora Cooks Pancit that are by Kristi Valiant. So, she really did her homework, and she did a wonderful job of depicting this Filipino-American family. That process of collaborating with an illustrator is really personal. It requires trust on the part of the writer. I got to connect with Kristi a little bit after our book was published, and our book won an award that year, and it was so special for me to hear kind of the behind-the-scenes of how Kristi illustrated the book.

Now, one of my favorite parts of some of the more recent books that I’ve published – with WaterBrook & Multnomah, for example, and Kailani’s Gift, which is my most recent kids’ picture book that depicts a Filipino-American family – I got to work with the illustrator more on the front end. And so, the illustrator – Lynnor Bontigao, who illustrated Kailani’s Gift – she did such a wonderful job of listening to the story, giving some ideas and feedback, and then also listening to some of the things that were important to me, that would be enhancing to the photos – really the illustrations because this one is illustrated. And I love the way she incorporates Filipino culture. The colors, the food: even some of the traditional costumes that you see at the party that the family is wearing.

And so, that collaboration process is really important. It’s an opportunity for a team of people, actually, to work together. There’s often more than just the illustrator, but there’s also art directors and other editors who are part of the conversation.

You know what, I love writing books for kids! But it’s not easy. It may seem easy because kids’ books are short, but actually, making something short and concise can sometimes be harder. And in this day and age when kids are so entertained by screens and movies and other things, it’s important that we really grab the attention of our reader and that we engage their attention, engage them in the story. I still believe that books are important, that storytelling is powerful. And so, that’s why I keep working at becoming a good writer for kids.

Now, as I mentioned, Kailani’s Gift is my most recent book, and this one was released in April of 2024. I want you to know that this is a book that celebrates Filipino-American families. And specifically, the dance, the tinikling, which a lot of American students and people have experience with because it was a dance that was often taught in physical education or P.E. classes when some of us were younger.

But this is also a book that celebrates family, it celebrates using our gifts to bless others, and perseverance. Persevering to do something that feels hard, that we’re maybe not good about doing in the beginning, or we don’t necessarily feel like we have this natural talent. But if we work at it, the way that Kailani works at the dance, we can see the benefits and the blessing that it can be to others.

So friends, thanks for this time today of just leaning in with me into the writing process. And I hope that you will check out these two books if you haven’t already: Kailani’s Gift and Cora Cooks Pancit. Salamat, friends! Take care.

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At Pamana, we believe in the transformative power of storytelling and the joy of books to connect generations and celebrate cultural identity. Our mission is to inspire young minds by sharing the rich traditions, values, and stories of the Philippines, fostering a sense of community. Since our opening in December 2023, our dedicated volunteers have engaged Filipino families in the greater Chicago area through enriching story times and cultural events.

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