(Available for pre-order. Orders will be shipped before the publication date.)

Story and Illustrations by Zhou Jianxin

Translated by Hongyu Jasmine Zhu

In the city, there was a temple, and in front of the temple, an old banyan
tree. Old Banyan has watched all walks of life unfold beneath its canopy,
and one day, a little squirrel climbs up its branches, demanding to hear a
story. Little Squirrel is full of questions, but as the old tree begins to lose
its leaves, the young squirrel realises that he will have to find the answers
himself. Without Old Banyan, who will tell him stories?

(Winner of the 8th Bai Meigui Translation Competition)

With afterword by the Singapore Book Council and the Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing

About the Author

Zhou Jianxin  is a multi-award-winning Taiwanese author and illustrator. From his early success with The Maroon Oriole to his 2023 Freeman Book Award-winning graphic novel The Boy from Clearwater, Zhou has consistently garnered top honors, including the Golden Tripod and Golden Comics Awards. His recent publications include The Drifting Chronicles (2024) and My One-Year-Old Grandfather (2025). He holds a PhD in Children’s Literature and is an alumnus of the Taipei National University of the Arts.

About the Translator

Hongyu Jasmine Zhu calls Chengdu home. She is exploring creative possibilities of grief work and looks forward to sharing a few reflections as a TEDx speaker. Jasmine is Editor-at-Large for China at Asymptote Journal and studies literature at Brown University. In her essay “Leaping Seasons” (PEN Transmissions), Hongyu reflects on grief, mother-daughter body language, and moving between winter and spring. Jasmine has received support from Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference, Frontline Creative Non-Fiction Fellowship, Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB), Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and elsewhere. She reviews children’s literature on Words Without Borders and World Kid Lit, hoping to one day open a reading room where no one is too young or too old to huddle and play.

ISBN:  978-1-913891-50-3
Format: Hardcover 178 x 254 mm
Pages: 54 pp Colour
Publication Date:  1 September 2026