In the Name of the Blue Magpie – The Story of Our "Country Triangle"

From the very beginning of our publishing house, I carried a quiet wish: how might our Taiwanese picture books find their own distinctive glow among the countless volumes on the shelves? Could a reader, wandering through a bookstore, be drawn to them by some subtle allure—and then, with a gentle turn of the hand, open a cover and step into a story? That moment of encounter, I believe, is where the truest magic between a book and its reader begins.

I longed to give that magic a mark—a small emblem that belonged to Taiwan.

Food speaks a universal language across Asia, yet I could hardly place a bowl of braised pork rice on a book jacket. Mountains and lakes hold their own beauty, but every corner of the world boasts its splendid landscapes; to paint Alishan or Sun Moon Lake on every cover would feel both predictable and reductive. As for flags—they are woven with tangled histories and identities, and as an outsider, I have no right to let one speak for this island.

Then I remembered the Formosan blue magpies I used to watch from my home on Yangmingshan. With their long, trailing tails, they would glide across the sky in effortless arcs—graceful, unburdened, and fiercely alive. Their flight reminded me of the island itself: spirited, elegant, and profound. And when I left Taiwan, Ambassador Tseng, formerly Taiwan’s representative to Slovakia, gave me a blue-magpie brooch set with gemstones—a token I still treasure dearly. In that moment, I knew: the blue magpie was the perfect winged messenger for Taiwanese children’s books.

So I took up my pen and sketched a triangular emblem with a blue magpie at its heart, and beneath it, I wrote: “From the Land of Formosa.” I dreamed that this small triangle would grace the cover of every Taiwanese picture book we published—a quiet beacon for readers and stories to find each other.

When I showed my rough draft to my husband, a trained architect, he immediately offered to redraw it with his own hands. After several days of careful refinement, the elegant version we now use was born—a symbol, and a promise. Thanks a million to mz husband.

We have since added German and Slovak translations for our international editions, yet the core line remains unchanged: “From the Land of Formosa.” Formosa—the old, poetic name for this island—is a name that still resonates with many who call it home.

This small triangle carries more than just recognition. It carries a tender hope: that every book which crosses the sea may travel with the blue magpie’s poise and the warmth of Formosa, and land softly in a child’s dream.