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Ed Tse-chun Young (Chinese: 杨志成; pinyin: Yáng Zhìchéng; November 28, 1931 – September 29, 2023) was a Chinese-born American illustrator and writer of children's picture books. He has received many awards and recognitions, including the Caldecott Medal and Lifetime Achievement awards for his contributions as a children's illustrator.
Ed Young was born on November 28, 1931, in Tianjin, China. When he was three years old, he and his family moved to Shanghai. From an early age, Ed loved to create stories and draw pictures.
In 1951, Young came to the U.S. to study architecture. He grew more interested in art and switched his major. Young's first job was with a New York advertising agency where he spent his lunch breaks sketching animals at the Central Park Zoo. He died at his home in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York on September 29, 2023, at the age of 91.[1][2]
Workedit
Young's first book, The Mean Mouse and Other Mean Stories, was published by Harper & Row in 1962. He expected it to be his first and last book, but it won an American Institute of Graphic Arts award and launched his career. Most of his books use colours and images to convey hidden symbolism, and utilize pencil, pastel, cut paper, collage, ink, photographs, light and shadows, and found materials.
The subject and style of each story provide Young with the initial inspiration for his art. Young based his work on research, believing a strong foundation of credibility must be established in order to create new and exciting images.
Young won the 1990 Caldecott Medal for illustrating Lon Po Po, his version of a Red-Riding Hood story from China. The annual award from the American Library Association recognizes the previous year's "most distinguished American picture book for children".[3] He had also been a runner-up twice (two Honor Books), for The Emperor and the Kite and Seven Blind Mice.[3] For his lifetime contribution as a children's illustrator, he was U.S. nominee in both 1992 and 2000 for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award.[4] In 2016, Young was honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Eric Carle Museum and the Society of Illustrators.[5]
Exhibitsedit
Young's original art for his books has been the subject of many exhibits such as "Journey Without End" at the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature in Abilene, Texas (2011–2012).[6] He has participated in many group shows such as the Michaelson Gallery's Children’s Illustration Celebration[7] and the Eric Carle Museum.
Tai chiedit
In 1964, Young met the renowned tai chi master, Cheng Man-ch'ing.[1] He became one of Cheng's top disciples in America, and was one of his two principal translators. Sent by Cheng, Young began teaching tai chi in Hastings-on-Hudson in 1971.[8] Young taught tai chi for over four decades in his hometown and other venues such as Yale University and Naropa University, and workshops around the United States.
Awards and honorsedit
Young received over fifty awards and honors for his work, among them:
Young's books have received the ALA Notable, Junior Library Guild, Parents' Choice, New York Times' Best Illustrated, Publishers Weekly Best Illustrated, and Boston Globe Horn Book Honors, among others.[citation needed] Many of his books have been translated into other languages, including Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish.
Worksedit
Self-Illustrated; for childrenedit
(With Hilary Beckett) The Rooster's Horns: A Chinese Puppet Play to Make and Perform, 1978.
(Reteller) The Terrible Nung Gwama: A Chinese Folktale, 1978.
(Adaptor) The Lion and the Mouse: An Aesop Fable, 1979.
High on a Hill: A Book of Chinese Riddles, 1980.
Up a Tree, 1983.
The Other Bone, 1984.
(Translator) Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China, 1989.
"Picturing Poetry." Group exhibit. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. November 17, 2012 – May 12, 2013.
"Journey Without End." Solo exhibit. National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas (2011–2012).
“Ed Young” solo exhibition at the Tang Gallery in Bisbee, Arizona. (2010).
See alsoedit
Portals:
Children's literature
Visual arts
Referencesedit
^ abRisen, Clay (October 3, 2023). "Ed Young Dies at 91; Infused His Illustrations With Chinese Tradition". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^ abcde
"Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938–Present". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). American Library Association (ALA).
"The Randolph Caldecott Medal". ALSC. ALA. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
^ ab
"Candidates for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards 1956–2002". The Hans Christian Andersen Awards, 1956–2002. IBBY. Gyldendal. 2002. Pages 110–18. Hosted by Austrian Literature Online (literature.at). Retrieved 2013-07-15.
^"2016 Lifetime Achievement Award (Contemporary): : Ed Young". Society of Illustrators. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
^"They're Centered On Tai-Chi Chuan". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
^ abcd"Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards Winners and Honor Books 1967 to present". Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
^ ab"2008-2009 AWARDS WINNERS". APALA. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
^"Eric Carle Museum 2017 Honorees". Eric Carle Museum. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
"Ed (Tse-chun) Young." Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults, 2nd ed., 8 vols. Gale Group, 2002.
Kotch, Laura and Leslie Zackman. The Author Studies Handbook: Helping Students Build Powerful Connections to Literature. New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 1995.
Primm, E. Russell III, ed. Favorite Children's Authors and Illustrators. Excelsior, Minn.: Tradition Books, 2003.
Silvey, Anita, ed. The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators. Boston:Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002.
Huang, Jui-yi. An Artist of T'ai Chi: A Critical Study of the Life, Art and Cultural Philosophy of the Children's Literare Artist Ed Young. PhD Dissertation, Ohio State University, 1998.
External linksedit
Biographicon: On-line Biography of Ed Young
Ed Young's Website
Northeast Children’s Literature Collection, University of Connecticut: main archive of Ed Young's artwork
Kimiko Kajikawa, Children's Book Author: Ed Young Links
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast: Interview with Ed Young
Video interview with Ed Young
PaperTigers.org: In-depth interview with Ed Young
[1] An exhibit of forty pieces of Ed Young's art for books.