"My parents were born in the Philippines and, from a very early age, I've enjoyed listening to their stories about growing up, before uprooting themselves to try a new life in the United States. I have drawn inspiration from them countless times.

I have been drawing as far back as I can remember. I used to draw on the walls, when I was a baby. I would draw on the blank back pages of my chidren's books, not wanting the story to end. Back then, there weren't many Asian characters in children's books; the only ones I encountered were in Crow Boy and The Five Chinese Brothers. And there definitely weren't any Filipino characters.

I'm very glad that the books I illustrate nowadays contribute to the growing list of multicultural children's literature. I hope it gets to the point where it's not considered a specialized category, and that folks realize that you don't have to be of a certain nationality to relate to a story that comes from a specific culture. You just have to be open to a good story, and I think every community can relate to that."
.........................................................................

Carl Angel is the illustrator of several books, including Xochitl and the Flowers, Lakas and the Manilatown Fish, and Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel (all by Children's Book Press).