We Always Had Wings

Immerse yourself in this stunning, mythology-inspired ode to the places and people who came before us as a girl embarks on her first visit to her mother’s hometown in China for Lunar New Year.

“Young readers will understand Snow’s message viscerally, while adults will appreciate the political implications….A relatable vision of immigration that takes flight.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A mythic tale that celebrates ­Chinese North American heritage and culture….Snow’s cinematic ­vision is mesmerizing.” —School Library Journal

“[A] visually stunning solo picture book debut.” —Publishers Weekly

“An uplifting picture-book debut about intrinsic connections, both past and present.” —Booklist

A Note From the Author

I was six years old when my mother took me in a plane to visit her hometown of Jiangxi, China, for the first time. As I watched the only world I knew get smaller and smaller behind me, I was afraid of flying across the ocean and of leaving the home where my mother raised me. I was afraid of what I’d find when I arrived in my ancestral hometown. The borders that divided me from the homeland instilled in me the feeling of never truly belonging anywhere.

This book is my wiser spirit, as an adult, traveling back in time to visit my anxious six-year-old self on that plane to offer them the courage and imagination to face their fears. This book is a gift to my childhood self, to help them access collective memory—how across species and before borders, we moved freely. It is me gifting them the feeling of belonging to everywhere: North America, their homeland, the Pacific, and the sky.

I hope any child, adult, or bird displaced from their homeland and culture may read this book and truly believe the sky and ocean will always be their home.

Take a peek inside!