Kailua Public Library

TV interview on OC16

If you missed my tv interview, watch it here. Enjoy!

In Alphabet Soup

Freshly made by Jama Rattigan! To read her review on Plenty Saimin, click HERE.

Plenty Saimin wins!

2011 Ka Palapala Po'okela Awards

Plenty Saimin by Island Paradise Publishing (Sept, 2010)
Winner of Excellence in Children's Literature
Honorable Mention of Excellence in Children's Illustrative & Photograhic Books

With Publisher Kerry Germain

To view a list of all the winners posted on Hawaii Book Blog, click HERE.

Author's Night at Waialua Public Library

"Ancient Sites of Oahu" by Van James
"Plenty Saimin" by Feng Feng Hutchins
"Anshu" by Juliet Kono
"Windows Into Western Life" by Jim Parsons

With Publisher Kerry Germain

Parking

Food before the event

Best Small/Rural Library in USA 1997

At the podium

Left to right: Jim Parsons, Juliet Kono, me and Van James

Librarian/Organizer Donna Nathanson

Reading at Waipahu Public Library

What a great afternoon at Waipahu Public Library! Thank you, Arlene Ching for inviting me! I had so much fun and the kids enjoyed their bowls of saimin...

In Hawaii Book Blog

Oct 4: For Author Interview, click HERE.

Sept 27: A great review on Plenty Saimin! Click HERE.

In Star Advertiser's Career Changers blog

To read about my book launch at Native Books/Na Mea Hawaii at Ward Warehouse, Honolulu, click HERE.

HAWAII NOW -- KFVE Sunrise

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Island Paradise Publishing has scheduled a book launch weekend for our latest children's picture book, Plenty Saimin, starting Saturday, September 25, 2010 at Hawaii's Plantation Village in Waipahu and Sunday, September 26, 2010 at Native Books/Na Mea Hawaii, Ward Warehouse.

Click HERE to watch interview.

In The News

Hutchins' First Book has Plenty of Lessons For Keiki

by Rasa Fournier

Lessons about sharing get a local twist in the new children's book Plenty Saimin, written by Pearl City resident Feng Feng Hutchins.

The book hearkens back to 1950s rural life in Hawaii. In the story, birthday boy Ah Kee heads to the market with his mother, all the while inviting friends to join him for noodles. After all, says Ma, "You must eat long noodles for long life."

But any worries Ma might have had about feeding the ever-growing number of guests are relieved when each person arrives with an ingredient to add to the pot.

"(In the plantation days) people shared more freely, even when times were hard," Hutchins said, adding that children represents the various ethnicities from the plantation era working together to create saimin, a dish inspired by Japanese, Chinese and Filipino dishes.

Hutchins found inspiration for the book's storyline in her own childhood in Malaysia.

"I remember my mom making 'long life' noodles for my birthdays," she said. "It was always a family affair, we never had big parties. So, in Plenty Saimin I wanted to invite every kid I see on the way to the market."

Today, she continues the tradition of cooking saimin for her young son and daughter, for whom she makes the dish almost every day.

Hutchins immigrated to California nearly 30 years ago, and when city life lost its appeal, her family headed to West Oahu, where they've lived for seven years.

Over the past few years, Hutchins has had several short stories published in compilation books such as Bamboo Ridge, but she always hoped to move on to bigger projects. "The thought of writing a novel scared me, so I decided to try a children's book," she explained. It didn't hurt that she was intimately familiar with the material, having read stacks and stacks of stories to her own children, sometimes checking out "20 to 30 picture books at a time from the library."

Plenty Saimin is being released by Island Paradise Publishing, which is responsible for the popular Kimo series: Surf's Up for Kimo, Kimo's Summer Vacation and Kimo's Surfing Lesson. The colorful illustrations for Plenty Saimin are provided by Nanakuli-born Adriano F Abatayo III.

Hutchins will be on hand for a book launch celebration and signing from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p. m. Sept 25 at Hawaii's Plantation Village (94-695 Waipahu St.). The first 25 signed copies come with a free pack of saimin. For more information, visit islandparadisepublishing.com.