To celebrate the paperback publication of Ning and the Night Spirits, we sat down with Adriena Fong to hear all about her inspirations, illustrations, and beautiful story. Click the link below to get your copy now!
In Ning and the Night Spirits, Ning helps the villagers and the night spirits understand each other and become friends, and in turn becomes more confident in himself. What inspired you to write a story about creating community?
Having grown up in a small yet bustling city, I’ve always felt the importance of community. Singapore is tight knit, and the possibility of bumping into someone you know when out and about is always high. It makes the effects of having a sense of collective identity more pronounced. Singapore is also very multicultural which brings many different perspectives and experiences, but can also cause friction. I’ve always wondered about how children grow up in a world that’s so connected, with constant access to the internet and conflicting views – I think that empathy, openness and the ability to question are traits that are now more important than ever.
The mythical creatures in your book come from cultures all across Asia- what do you think inspired you to include so many cultures in your book?
As a Singaporean, I’m ethnically Chinese but I’m always surrounded by more than just my own culture and heritage. I think that our multicultural society shapes who we are as Singaporeans – the way cultures weave and intertwine has definitely inspired me. There are many things in Singapore that are a mix of different cultures, to the point where they can’t really be separated anymore.
I also really wanted to showcase Asian folklore/legends and how it informs our values and way of life. Seeing Asian folklore told on a global stage is also important to me – to share these stories with everyone and represent Asian culture and people.
As an author/illustrator, how do you decide what to include in the text versus the pictures? What are your favourite little details that you’d like readers to find?
I’ve always enjoyed the play between text and image. It’s something I learned about lots during my degree. I usually make many passes of both the pictures and words, and lay them side by side – what words make the images pop and vice versa? What is better told in a visual, more sensory way, and what’s better told through specific words/sounds?
Your illustrations have a lovely soft quality, which beautifully portrays the gentle glow of the night spirits. What techniques do you use to create your illustrations? Do you work digitally, with traditional techniques or both?
I often use both digital and traditional mediums, usually starting with a foundation of traditional materials like gouache, watercolour, colour pencils and pastels. For this book specifically, I drew most figures and details digitally after scanning it in. I wanted to keep things pretty organic and vintage with the pencil and paint textures as a nod to the folktale themes. The softness of the watered down paints in this case helped to remind of traditional East Asian paintings and scrolls.
One of our favourite spreads in the book is towards the end when the villagers and spirits make banners, flags and lanterns, and play music in their parade. Do you like making crafts for celebrations?
Yes! As a kid in school I was always so excited when we had any festival celebrations as that usually meant we would make some sort of craft (and spend less time on the subjects I hated). I particularly loved when it was the Mid-Autumn Festival and we would make lanterns. A traditional type of lantern you’d see often during the period would be made of wire and colorful cellophane in the shape of animals or dragons – my favourite was the bunny, and taking it out with me glowing brightly in the night always felt so magical to me. Seeing others also carrying lanterns filled me with that sense of community too – a connection to my roots and the people who came before me.
Ning and the Night Spirits
by Adriena Fong
Ning has always heard tales of the night spirits that used to haunt the little village where he lives.
Secretly, he wonders if they’re really as bad as everyone says – but is much too shy to ask.
But when Ning finds himself in the forest at night, he meets a creature who introduces him to the spirits’ secret world and he discovers that all is not as it seems.
A gentle story about not judging others, finding the confidence to use your voice and celebrating friendship.
Get your copy HERE
