Tina Cho is a kindergarten teacher by day and, by night, an award-winning author of six picture books and a lyrical middle grade graphic novel, The Other Side of Tomorrow, which received five starred reviews.

Tina has visited us at Write2Ignite before – appearing in a video at the W2I Master Class on Lyrical Language led by Natalee Creech and in an interview at this blog (if you missed the interview, you can check it out here). Now, as her latest picture book, God's Little Oceanographer (illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns, published by WaterBrook Multnomah, 2025), makes a splash in stores and libraries, we're thrilled to welcome Tina back to get caught up on her latest writing adventures.

Interview

Sue: The books in your “Big Adventures for Growing Minds” series have taken readers far into space, and deep into the ocean – and soon, I understand, to other exciting destinations. What are some of the joys and challenges you experienced as you wrote the books in this series?

Tina: Joys: I had fun finding Bible verses about space and the ocean that I could pair with various topics in my books. I enjoyed deciding which animals to include in Oceanographer, some well-known and some lesser-known. One of my kindergarten classes even helped decide on the cover.

Challenges: First, it’s challenging for a second book to follow the pattern set in the first book, but thankfully, once I decided on how to organize the information, God’s Little Oceanographer took shape nicely. Another challenge is to write facts for little minds to understand. So the section about how the ocean moves with waves, tides, currents, gravity, salt content was difficult to pare down and keep text sparse.

Sue: Any feedback you can share that you’ve received from parents or children?

Tina:

A review from a mom @goodbookhunt:
We absolutely love God’s Little Oceanographer – just like its predecessor! It’s longer than the average picture book, packed with fascinating ocean facts and rich educational content, which makes it perfect for curious kids.

I especially appreciate the Scripture on every spread, beautifully connecting science and faith. The illustrations are captivating, and my 6- and 4-year-olds were fully engaged from start to finish. We all learned so much, and it sparked great conversations. A wonderful resource for families who want to nurture wonder and faith together.

__________________

From a grandma (Nancy I. Sanders):

My grandchildren love this book! Ages 4 and 6, they were eager to study each page and talk about all the different sea creatures God has made. The art is adorable and the message about God’s love really touches young hearts. A new family favorite, for sure!

__________________

From a mom @babydevotions:

If you have been here a while, you probably know I am a huge fan of everything @tinamcho produces. All of her books are phenomenal, and & God’s Little Oceanographer is no exception.

Tina is an elementary school teacher, and it especially shines through in this series. Tina guides littles into exploration of the world God created. Showing them we have a big God who created the heavens, the Earth, and us to be the gardeners of this good world.

Sue: The language in God’s Little Oceanographer is so beautiful, and the illustrations are a perfect fit, with their vivid colors. If you were asked to choose just one spread to frame and hang on the wall, which one would it be?

Tina:

Sue: What can we look forward to seeing from you next?

Tina:

• The Princess and the Grain of Rice publishes Feb. 10, 2026, a Korean retelling of The Princess and the Pea from FSG/Macmillan
• God’s Little Zoologist publishes in 2027
• Another unannounced Korean-themed picture book
• God’s Little Botanist in 2029, I believe.

Sue: Please finish these thoughts:

Something I’ve never tried, but would love to dip my toes into…have a flower garden. I’m horrible with plants. I cringe when my students gift me plants because I know the plant won’t have much of a life with me. But so far, my succulents are still alive. 🙂

Whenever I have a spare moment, I love to dive into…reading for pleasure or watching Netflix.

I was hoping you’d ask…how did you celebrate the release of God’s Little Oceanographer?

I had asked my husband if we could go to the ocean on my summer break, and he surprised me with a cruise to Alaska and British Columbia! Of course, I took the book with me for photos and gave it to a nice older couple on the cruise to read to their grandkids.

Thank you for another lovely visit, Tina!

Readers, to learn more about Tina, you can visit her website at www.tinamcho.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.

GIVEAWAY!

Tina is giving away a copy of God's Little Oceanographer to one of our readers. For your chance to win a copy of this beautiful book, leave a comment below by September 25.

Children’s author and educator Sue Irwin has written nature features, biographical articles, and how-to craft articles for various magazines, including AppleSeeds and Highlights for Children, and she’s a frequent contributor to Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. Her middle-grade nonfiction books for the general market have received top awards, and she’s excited about her upcoming board book, Hey There, Blue Bird, Why Do You Chirp? (B&H Publishing, 2026). Sue hosts W2I’s monthly Time2Write sessions, and she invites you to connect with her here.