Ep. 4: Heroes and Queens

Episode Summary

Aram Kim and Cici, Age 7

4/16/2020

This week’s episode brings together seven year old Cici and Aram Kim, (author and illustrator of Bank Street’s Best Children’s Book of 2018 No Kimchi for Me). Both call Queens, NYC home and it is here that they meet and collaborate to grow Cici's story seed about a new neighborhood superhero: Electric Kitty! Follow along as they introduce us to Electric Kitty who has the superpower to shoot laser beams of light to fight bad guys, but when she isn't busy saving the world — she's a regular cat who can be found curled up in a quintessential Queens bodega, eating her favorite snack, salami! Click here for complete episode notes.

✊At release time, this episode is an especially poignant tribute to the resilience of Queens, one of the most diverse places on earth, which is currently (April 2020) the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City.

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This Episode Features

Cici, age 7

I live in … Jackson Heights, Queens

My superpower is ... Curiosity

If I had a billion dollars, I would buy ... chocolate

If I met an alien, the first thing I’d show them on Earth is ... my bookshelf

My favorite books are .... Dogman series by Dav Pilkey and Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene

What I usually keep in my pockets ... Rose, my owl keychain

Aram Kim

I was born in … Cincinnati, Ohio

I live in … Elmhurst, Queens.

My first cat's name was … Horang. It means tiger in Korean.

My three picture books all have cats in them … Cat on the Bus, No Kimchi for Me, and Let’s Go to Taekwondo

My superhero is … author and teacher Pat Cummings

My favorite children's book is … Charlotte's Web. Thanks to that book, I've never ever been afraid of spiders. No matter how scary they might look, they are all Charlotte's cousins and families!

Bonus Episode

On this bonus episode, host Betsy Bird and Aram Kim chat about growing Cici’s electric story seed into the original superhero caper "Adventures of Electric Kitty: The Blackout." You’ll also get writing tips, and hear how Aram Kim got her start as an award-winning author and illustrator of picture books including No Kimchi for Me and her latest Let’s Go to Taekwondo. Click for episode notes and transcript.