By Roseanne Thong

As a child, I dreamed about colors. Every night in my darkened room, my plain, white walls would magically transform themselves into wallpaper of every hue and shade imaginable. There would be stripes, swirls, dots, buds, splatters, sprinkles, and great bursts of brilliance. The patterns never repeated themselves, and each night was a new experience.

Although I always thought I would be an artist, I found my niche with writing. But when writing books, what topic could interest me more than that of COLORS?

My inspiration for writing Red is a Dragon came one crisp February evening as I was walking through the streets Hong Kong. I was gazing at holiday decorations for the Lunar New Year--bright red paper dragons, long, snake-like chains of firecrackers, and traditional silk clothing in shop windows. Then I stumbled upon a dragon dance team practicing in the recreation room of a local school. I could hear the drums beating out their fierce rhythm.

Suddenly, I envisioned the sights, sounds and excitement of a real dragon dance parade, and a rhyme popped into my head:

Red is a dragon
Red is a drum
Red are the firecrackers--
here they come!

My daughter, Maya Foong Sze Thong, was three-and-a-half years old at the time. She loved rhymes, poems and bright colors. I started thinking about what images would excite and interest her. Another verse popped into my mind.

Pink is a peony
Pink is a rose
Pink is the sunlight on my nose.

And later...

White are noodles
and chopsticks, too
White are dumplings
for me and you!

In this way the book took shape, along with the help a very talented illustrator named Grace Lin, whose artwork brought my ideas to life. Interestingly, the bright curlicues and patterns that Grace uses in her background drawings are very similar to the wallpaper designs I imagined as a child. I believe we are a perfect match!

I have always enjoyed writing, and composed my first poems when I was four years old. I did most of my creative work in bed in the early mornings when the rest of the house was sleeping. I was not allowed to get up earlier than 7:00 a.m., so instead of waking up the family, I kept busy with the paper and pencil on my bedside table.

When I was older, my parents and teachers encouraged me to send in poems and short stories to local newspapers and community contests in Southern California, where I grew up. In college, I studied journalism and wrote for several local newspapers, but when offered a teaching job in Taiwan, I went without hesitation. Later on, I branched off into a new career in education.

Since that time, I have traveled all over the world teaching English in Guatemala, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. However, I love coming back to my home in Southern California, where I can see little bits of Guatemala, Vietnam and Hong Kong in our ethnically diverse neighborhoods.

Red is a Dragon is not just for Asian children. It is for anyone who loves colors, and who wants to learn about the colorful cultures of people around them.

If you have any comments or questions about this book, please feel free to e-mail me at: Roseanne@greenfield-thong.com.

Roseanne Thong, February 2002