Ed Young

Ed Young

Ed Young is a children’s author and illustrator with a unique voice and style. Young was raised in Shanghai and creates beautiful books that share Chinese traditions with children around the world.  I was lucky enough to meet him a few years ago and I found him to be passionate about quality children’s literature and sharing Chinese culture. As an artist, he is known for his softly shaped yet intensely rich images.  He has a penchant for engaging the viewer with mesmerizing eyes that are luminant in a foggy wash of watercolor or in a background of brushed and muted tones of charcoal and pastel.  He has also challenged himself with bold and graphic paper cuts and collages. His picture books celebrate the Chinese folktale with an aesthetic that is reminiscent of traditional Chinese paintings.  Narrative images loom and bleed off the page relegating text to pithy, poetic reflection. Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China was published by Philomel Books in 1989. By then, Young had been in the United States for 38 years.  With an artistry rooted in the Asian psyche, Young is able to connect broadly to western readers.  The book is celebrated for the illustrations, winning the 1990 Caldecott Medal, but his writing is often charming and poetic and has a reverberant quality that lulls both the lap listener or a room full of antsy students.  Note that the wolf doesn’t just die or burn, rather, it’s his heart that suffers.

“But at that moment, Shang coughed and they all let go of the rope, and the basket fell down and down and down. Not only did the wolf bump his head, but he broke his heart to pieces.”

When asked about the book, Young responds:

Lon Po Po is a story that I heard when I was small, and I didn't know then that it was a rare version of the Red Riding Hood story. It wasn't until I came to this country and I became a children's book author that it occurred to me that it was only one version of the widely known story. In the Western or European version, Red Riding Hood needed the hunter to come and save her. The three girls in Lon Po Po actually handle the wolf themselves. This approach not only gives a boost to children that they can handle problems on their own, but it also tells them that they don't really need an adult around to do the job.

Young’s early career was marked by a dissatisfaction with both architecture and advertising. He brought a few drawings, “brush drawings on paper napkins and that kind of stuff,” to Ursula Nordstrom. “She paged through the drawings very carefully and then she said, ‘I have something here for you.’ “  What followed was a collaboration spanning a prolific career punctuated with numerous industry awards.

The Monkey King, published by Harper Collins Publishers in 2001, brings to life the classic folk tale from the epic 16th century Ming dynasty novel Journey to the West.   The book is illustrated in watercolor and paper cut collages. While the images are delightful, bold, and carry the drama of the sweeping saga, the story itself feels disjointed and frenetic. The plot jumps across the original novels 100 chapters, and fails to trace a satisfying story arc.  The ending teases, “By learning that there was strength in admitting to weakness, Monkey had saved the day.  Did Monkey’s humility last? That’s another story for another book.”  The back matter explains, “This adaptation attempts only to introduce the very beginning of the classic tale, as well as Monkey, perhaps the most colorful character of the cast.” Red Thread which was published by Philomel Books in 1993 also shared a beloved and classic Chinese folktale about a magical red thread that connects two people who are destined to marry.  Young’s version leans heavily on a broader theme:  the futility of escaping one’s fate. Here again, the ending defies any sense of tidiness. Like The Monkey King, the story requires greater listening skills than can be found in those on the younger side of the picture book spectrum as it jumps across points in time--some a matter of days, and others a matter of years. The subject matter is often dark.

“The same day, Wei promised ten thousand coins to his servant is he would kill the girl.  The poor man agreed and Wei went with him to the marketplace and pointed out the girl.”

The book is intelligently designed, with a red thread graphic that runs across every spread. Again, the watercolor and pastel vistas spread and bleed in every direction.  



The action is often telescopic with suggested architectural details and contemplative characters.

Two other noteworthy folktales by Young, Seven Blind Mice, published by Penguin Random House in 2002 and The Emperor and the Kite, written by Jane Yolen and published by World Publishing Company in 1967, were both Caldecott Honor Books.

Beyond folktales, Young also illustrates poetry.  In 1988, Philomel Books published Cats are Cats.  A thematic poetry anthology compiled by Nancy Larrick.  It is surprising just how many thematic poetry anthologies for children there are about cats. Even more so that cat poetry anthologies spill over into the adult section. Larrick and Young’s version is an outstanding version of this micro-genre. The collection offers lighthearted classics such as “The Cats of Kilkenny” and T.S. Eliot’s “The Song of the Jellicles” and the mesmerizing canon in Lilian Moore’s “True” and Rosalie Moore’s “Cats Sleep Fat.” An anthology of cat poetry can fall prey to the syrupy impulse to dot your “i’s” with hearts.

However, Larrick curates a slick and ruminative collection. Much of the modern poetry books for children relies heavily on humor, disarming irreverence, or syncopated rhythm and eye catching font changes. Larrick and Young’s collaboration is a deeply satisfying anthology of poetry because the poems resonate, the images intrigue and invite scrutiny, and each spread offers fresh ideas in a tightly executed theme. Young’s talent shines in this format bounded by open, parchment-colored spreads. Where many fail, this duo captures why cats embody poetry in both verse and illustration.

I’ve struggled to find a worthy anthology of Chinese folk tales.  What Young does so well in his most successful books, is to recreate the essence of an Asian sensibility, while maintaining English language quality and western accessibility.  

Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories by Mingmei Yip was published by Tuttle publishing in 2004 to fill this gap. Yip introduces the book by sharing the experience of her father keeping her spellbound by traditional Chinese folk talks in her youth--”The Monkey King, The Ghost Catcher, The Frog Who Lived in a Well.”  The stories, like folk tales across the world, are often didactic and present life lesson in strange and quirky lore.  This is often artfully told as in the story, “Carp Jumping Over The Dragon Gate.”

“In ancient China, students studied extremely hard before they took the imperial examinations.  Those who succeeded would become high government officials.  Like the carp turning into soaring dragons, their future would be as bright as the morning. Sun. The Chinese use this story to explain the reward of hard work: “Once jumped over the dragon gate, fame and fortune will never come late.”

However, like Mother Goose, the tales can become awkward when housed in a modern retelling. The details that fit cleanly in an Asian setting can result in language that reads like poorly translated prose:

“The Goddess descended from her heavenly palace all the way to the river bank, where huge waves were splashing against the shore. She called out, “Dragon King! Dragon King! Please come! I have to talk to you!” The dragon had been having a sweet dream of eating a banquet of crab and shrimp when he was awakened by the Goddess’s earnest calls. Annoyed, he quickly left his dragon bed and rose above the water. When he saw a beautiful young woman standing alone by the cliff, he was to surprised to say anything.”

Beyond these common disconnects between the young and the old in the folk tale genre, the book offers beautifully illustrated images that are richly colored and connect Chinese artistry to the well-known and beloved stories.



Ed Young is a prolific children's author and illustrator that is well worth every librarian's time to get to know. He offers a unique artistry with his illustrations and his many books highlighting Chinese folktales are a valued addition to any diverse collection of children's folk tales. His work illustrating poems are profoundly contradictory. They will both haunt and delight you, as all great art should.

* Ed Young quotes are from the TeachingBooks.net interview.