Welcome to the Back Matter Break Down! For today’s interview, I am excited to bring you a conversation with an amazing author-illustrator, Laura G. Lee! I was fascinated by her book from the moment I learned that she used actual soy sauce in the illustrations. Her experience putting together the back matter for this book is also super interesting, so I know you’re in for a good read. And don’t forget to scroll all the way to the end for this week’s author giveaway! Let’s go!
Book: Soy Sauce!
Author / Illustrator: Laura G. Lee
Publisher / Year: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2025
Genre: Non Fiction
Topics: Food, Cooking, Asian Cultures
Blurb: Salty, savory, rich, and even sweet, soy sauce is as fascinating to make as it is delicious to eat! Luan makes a classic Chinese soy sauce. Haru uses his own recipe at his family’s traditional Japanese brewery. And Yoo-mi’s Korean soy sauce features special ingredients to make it spicy and sweet. With unique ingredients that reflect different Asian cultures, and a brewing process that can take years, even decades, soy sauce holds deep meaning and flavorful history in every drop.
Book Word Count: 278 words
What is your back matter word count?
207 words
At what phase of the drafting/revising/publishing process did you decide your book needed back matter?
Probably in my early research–I knew there were a lot of cultural ingredients and scientific terms that readers may not catch. The story of soy sauce is so rich historically and culturally, the back matter gave me a chance to point readers to deeper explorations in how soy sauce is made, and the countries that make it.
What was the earliest version of the back matter like? Can you show us snippets?
My earlier version of back matter included a ‘production’ diagram of how soy sauce is made. As we got into it, we realized it was somewhat of a challenge to make a single diagram for all soy sauce production. It’s made in many different ways, in different places. Instead, we opted to highlight the differences in ingredients in the Glossary, and steer away from the ‘how to’ diagram. However, I do use that same diagram to explain in school visits the ‘basic process’, then go into more specifics. Below is the diagram that got cut from the final back matter. As you can see, it became a challenge to represent the soy sauce making process in a singular way- as there are variations in ingredients, and process throughout.
What changes and revisions (if any) came about after working with the editor/agent? Are there any other soy sauce facts that you wanted to include in the back matter but didn’t make the cut?
I think the essence of the original back matter was preserved, but became more visual as I worked with my editorial and art team. They suggested creating more of a visual glossary, with recognizable elements and characters from the book, to peak reader’s interest. I really wanted to include the Korean soybean block step, making meju, in the original story but because that was streamlined, I was able to still create an element for it in the back matter. While I am sure there are some cool aspects of soy sauce that didn’t make the cut, I like to think of back matter at a jumping off point to deeper questions and research–so I think we did hit all the big highlights.
At any point, did you consider including a recipe in the back matter?
I think we considered it early on, but veered away from it because there is no single recipe for soy sauce that could have been the perfect one. So we chose instead to represent its diversity and range, and share its cultural and historical context instead.
What were some challenges (if any) that arose during the back matter publishing process?
At some point I learned I might not be able to print the book in China because of the reference in the back matter to Taiwan. It was an unexpected surprise in the process, and my publishing team leaned on me to decide what to do–I chose to keep the elements of Taiwan in, because it was important to me and my family (my kids are half-Taiwanese, half-Korean). So we printed the book in Malaysia instead. And I’m happy we did! I give huge kudos to my publishing team at Hachette for supporting my decision.
I love the idea of a Visual Glossary like you have in your book. What tips (if any) can you offer to author-illustrators about designing creative back matter?
Hm…. good question. I think back matter adds to the story, it’s something that like the book, ideally, kids will return to. So think of them as jumping off points to deeper explorations. Ask yourself, what might readers relate to, and want to know more about? Is there anything particularly symbolic in your book that has a backstory? Then dive in. I like to think of back matter as the starting point to a conversation.
Thank you, Laura! It’s so helpful and interesting to get a look into your creative process in putting this book together, as well as how you navigated some unexpected challenges. You’ve given us some great things to think about! Please support Laura:
Book purchase: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/laura-g-lee/soy-sauce/9781523528387/?lens=little-brown-books-for-young-readers
Instagram: lauragleestudio
Laura’s Upcoming events:
– SOY SAUCE! Storytime and Signing at Water Street Books, Exeter, NH, on 5/3/25 at 1:15pm EST
– SOY SAUCE! Author Talk at the San Mateo Public Library, San Mateo, CA, on 5/10/25 at 11am PDT
– Bay Area Book Festival (Berkeley, CA) – Play with Your Food!, at Berkeley Public Library Children’s Nonfiction Area: Charlotte Cheng, Sara Fajardo, and Laura Lee emceed by Cinnamongirl Funmilayo on Saturday, May 31st at 3pm
Now for the giveaway!
Laura G. Lee has generously offered a 30 min zoom AMA to one lucky winner! To enter: leave one comment on this blog post by April 22, 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. For additional entries, leave a comment on Judy’s BlueSky and/or Instagram posts about this post for a maximum of 2 bonus entries. (Remember to check back on this blog post and social media to see if you are selected as a winner!)
Thank you for reading!
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Judy Campbell-Smith 
Oh my goodness, my stomach actually growled as I read this article! What a great subject… a deep dive into a common–but little understood–everyday food. (Condiment?) I can’t wait to see this story.
What a great example of partnership how the editorial team gave Laura the choice on printing versus forcing textual removal and how cool it is painted with real soy sauce! Thanks for sharing, Judy and Laura!
Living in Singapore, soy sauce is an integral part of life here! And I love how you creatively paid homage to it by using it in your art as well. I was delighted to see how supportive your publisher was with printing it in Malaysia and allowing you to retain mentions of Taiwan. What a stunning book and process!– Yashika Mody (yashikamodywriting@gmail.com)
Hi Yashika! Congrats, you are the winner of the giveaway with Laura G. Lee! Ill be in touch with more info soon 🙂
Thanks so much Judy – I’m thrilled!