Mr. Chow's Night Market

Perfect for fans of Spirited Away and Domee Shi’s Pixar short Bao, this humorous picture book tells the fantastical tale of one grumpy old man and the creation of Taiwan’s first night market.

Mr. Chow lives for the night, when the moon is a wok full of simmering oil.

Too bad he owns a supermarket and has to wake up very, very early. Mr. Chow hates mornings and so does his store: The shopping carts are sluggish, the front door yawns, and the pomelos roll down the aisle in a sleepy daze. 

When disaster strikes, Mr. Chow seeks advice from other workers and the similarly buoyant, anthropromophic buildings they work in. And soon, he discovers that his store doesn’t have to be a morning market…it can be a night market!

Accompanied by spellbinding art from Yu Ting Cheng, debut author Emily Sun Li crafts a whimsical myth about how the very first Taiwanese night market was created.

Author Biography

Emily Sun Li (she/her) is a Chinese American author who spent two years studying Mandarin Chinese in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, as a Fulbright scholar. Afterward, she received an MA in children’s literature and an MFA in writing for children at Simmons University. Her experiences have inspired her to write her debut picture book, Mr. Chow’s Night Market. When she’s not writing, she’s probably procrasti-cleaning, drinking milk tea, or traveling. Learn more at emilysunli.com.

Yu Ting Cheng (she/her) was born and raised in Taiwan. As a child, her adventures began at her great-grandfather’s private zoo, with three crocodiles, two peacocks, and many dogs. Yu earned an MFA in computer art from the School of Visual Art in New York and interned at Bill Plymptom Studios as an animation coloring artist. She hopes to express happiness through her illustrations.