Author Feature: Little Helper by Regina Linke

Title: Little Helper

Author: Regina Linke

Publisher: ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: ‎ May 5, 2026

Blurb: From the creator of the beloved webcomic The Oxherd Boy comes a gorgeously illustrated original folktale about a little boy who must use his big imagination to help solve big problems.

It’s a beautiful day in Ah-Fu’s village, and all he wants to do is fly his kite, ride in his grandfather’s oxcart, and have a picnic. But a tangled string, a busy aunt, a fallen tree, and more threaten to ruin Ah-Fu’s chances of enjoying this perfect day with the people he loves.

Can little Ah-Fu come up with creative ways to help his friends and family, or will his plans for a nice day be ruined?

Inspired by traditional Chinese philosophy and told alongside gorgeous illustrations, this modern fable encourages readers of all ages to use inventive problem-solving strategies and lend a helping hand wherever they can.

 

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW 

 

At what point did you decide to be an author, and what was your path to publication?

I had the really lucky chance to make a real life break around the time my son was two years old. Our family uprooted from the US and moved to another country where the cost of living was so much cheaper, my husband could work remotely, and we could make do with a single income. I moved from a nine-to-five job, was able to parent our child, and also explore my creative interest while living in Taiwan.

While there, I started taking traditional Chinese painting lessons, deepening my appreciation of East Asian philosophy that I grew up with, and also began sharing these lessons with my son as he grew older. The result was an illustrated collection of parables that I named “The Oxherd Boy,” which started and grew as an Instagram account during the COVID-19 pandemic. From there, I was able to pitch the idea to an agent, who was able to sell the book as an inspirational collection, and transition the IP to children’s books to two of the big five publishers.

 

Have you been able to incorporate your previous experience in your jobs/education in your writing?

I’ve definitely been able to use my education in marketing, business administration, and digital technology to support my creative career. Writing and illustrating is one skill set, especially when doing so for children. But being a working writer and illustrator is another skill set that my previous experience managing businesses and communicating with that side of authorship has helped me advance more quickly than I think normally might have happened.

From a creative standpoint, I also see my writing through a somewhat different lens that’s been colored by my training in business communication. Communication is about a sender, a receiver, a message, and the channel or environment through which the message must travel. Each section has potential points for failure to successfully share what we mean or intend to say or be understood, and I consider my craft, my work to be subject to those limitations. If a work doesn’t sell or resonate well, I’ve learned to not take it so personally, that the result is not necessarily a reflection of myself as a creator, but a combination of multiple factors that can come together or not. It’s been freeing to lower the stakes on creative work and not be so concerned about what I’m doing right or wrong. As Martha Graham once said, my work most importantly, is to keep the channel open.

 

Describe the book or series in 10 words or less for people just learning about it.

“The Oxherd Boy” is a series of illustrated works, an indie best-selling collection of parables for adults as well as two picture book stories – award-winning Big Enough and Little Helper –– for children under 8 that combine traditional Chinese brush painting with East Asian philosophy. They are modern parables that read like classics and inspire quiet reflection in readers of many ages and walks of life.

 

Is there anything you would like people to take away from your book?

There are moments of quiet and peace to be had. Take them and rejoice in them.

 

Share some advice for aspiring authors. What advice would you give to your younger self?

There’s no advice for the younger self, just the self. You have to begin where you are, and there’s no wrong time or place to start.

 

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I’m most often found in the garden or the woods.

 

 

About the Author

Regina Linke is a Taiwanese American artist specializing in Chinese gongbi-style painting, an ancient form of brush painting that depicts narrative subjects in colorful high detail. She enjoys writing and illustrating stories that celebrate East Asian folklore and philosophy in a modern way, and is set to release the first Oxherd Boy picture book in 2025.

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