Michele Wong McSween

Michele Wong McSween is a former fashion designer, mom, and author/creator of Gordon & Li Li. Growing up as a fourth generation Chinese-American, Michele never learned to speak Chinese, so making sure her own boys were exposed to the language and culture became a priority for her.

After enrolling them in early-learning Mandarin classes, Michele looked for simple, first word Mandarin books that were easy to read, engaging, modern, and more importantly, were books that they’d want to cuddle up with at bedtime. When Michele couldn’t find any books for non-speaking Chinese families like hers, she created Gordon & Li Li with the intent on rooting her kids’ multi-ethnic identity through language.

Originally from Sacramento, California, Michele has lived in New York City for the past 23 years and currently lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.