Big Feelings. Gentle Stories. Growing Hearts.
The Story Behind the Stories
It was bedtime. Again.
I was feeding my three-month-old son.
My eldest, Escher, stood by the bedroom door, tears streaming down his little face.
“Mummy, put down the baby and read for me,” he cried.
“Why don’t you have time for me anymore?”
My heart shattered into a thousand pieces.
I went to cuddle Escher, my newborn still in my arms.
As I held him close — breathing in his little-boy smell of yesterday’s adventures and tomorrow’s dreams — I realised something simple, yet profound:
There were no picture books on our shelf for this moment.
No stories that said:
“Yes, this is hard.”
“Yes, you are allowed to feel angry.”
“And yes — you are still infinitely and wholeheartedly loved.”
That night, I started writing my first picture book.
That night, Mama Jing Writes was born.
Hello
Hi, I’m Jing Zhang - though most people know me as Elva.
I came to study in Australia after finishing high school in China, and have since made Melbourne my home, where I work as a lawyer in my day-job.
But in our house, I’m simply Mama — keeper of snacks, teller of fantastical stories, and night guardian against both imaginary monsters and big feelings.
I write picture books for the moments parenting blogs don’t quite capture — the messy middles. The times when “you’re such a good big sister/brother” feels a bit like a lie, and everyone just needs permission to not be okay.
My stories are inspired by our real, chaotic, loving life — raising two spirited half-Chinese, half-Indian boys (we affectionately call them “Chindian”) and my stepdaughter in Melbourne.
Where Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is sung in both Mandarin and English.
Where our celebrations and bedtime stories blend across cultures.
Where Mama’s meditation mat shares space with Lego explosions.
Where big feelings are welcome, even when they’re inconvenient.
As someone who lives between cultures, I’ve learned that while our traditions may differ, the language of a parent’s love — and a child’s heart — is universal. Every family needs stories that say:
“Your feelings matter. Your struggles are real. You belong.”
My debut picture book, After the Little Baby Arrived, was written for my eldest son — and for every child learning to find their place in a growing family. To know that clouds pass, but the sky remains. That when a family grows or changes, it can still hold all the feelings — the jubilant and the jealous, the tender and the turbulent.
Welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.
Mama Jing
