Exclusive Cover Reveal: WE ARE DEFINITELY HUMAN by X. Fang

Dim Sum Palace, by X. Fang, was one of my favorite 2023 picture books.

Today, I’m sharing the cover for Fang’s next picture book, We Are Definitely Human (out August 6th).

But first, I had a few questions for the creator (X. Fang, not god) . . .

Travis: It was great to see your first book, Dim Sum Palace, be so warmly received. What was that experience like?

X. Fang: It was humbling and surreal. When you’re making a book, it becomes the only book and the most important book in your life. But when my book was finally in the world, I returned to reality and was floored by all the amazing books being put out. I feel so lucky to just be a part of the picture book world, that to receive any kind of recognition or positive feedback was mind-boggling when there’s so much talent and so many incredible books being made!

Travis: What was the inspiration behind this new book, We Are Definitely Human?

X. Fang: It started off as a joke. There was talk online of lizard people and aliens living among us, disguised as humans and I just thought, “what if they didn’t disguise themselves but instead confidently insisted that they were definitely human.” To lie so blatantly when all evidence points to the contrary was so funny to me, but it also made me think of why someone would lie in such a way. Some may do it compulsively or for nefarious reasons, others as a joke. Then I thought about someone who might lie to fit in or to feel safe–which I found interesting and I thought created an opportunity to talk about kindness.

Travis: What media did you use to make We Are Definitely Human, and how was the illustration process different from Dim Sum Palace?

X. Fang: I draw everything with graphite on paper, scan it, and color digitally. The illustration process didn’t differ that much from Dim Sum Palace but I do like to change up the character design for every book. I think a lot about the silhouettes of characters. For Dim Sum Palace I wanted the characters to be as plump and juicy as the dumplings themselves. For We Are Definitely Human I wanted the characters to have interesting and unusual shapes to highlight their unusual circumstances.

Travis: Important Question: What snack puts you in peak creativity mode? Or, what snack fueled We Are Definitely Human?

X. Fang: I was working on the final art for We Are Definitely Human in my first trimester of pregnancy. I craved a ton of dried fruit, so I was constantly eating dried Taiwanese guava, dried apricots, and a TON of prunes, which was risky, but it felt exhilarating to take such risks. For those unaware, you should not snack on prunes in the same way you snack on popcorn or potato chips because things can happen.

Travis: And now, a first look at the cover for We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang, publishing August 6th 2024 from Tundra Books:

(Click to enlarge)

From the publisher:

When three mysterious visitors from “Europe” crash-land in Mr. Li’s field, he does what any good host would: he invites them back to his farmhouse and offers to help fix up their “car”. No, there’s nothing strange about these guests at all. Just like other humans, they “make business”, “play sportsball” and “wear hat”. As the townsfolk also come to the aid of the visitors and the gathering turns into a little party, interplanetary relations reach an all-time high.

A sweetly funny extraterrestrial offering that explores surprising acts of kindness and acceptance, X. Fang’s second picture book is truly out of this world.

Filed under: Cover Reveal