Ed Young author page

Ed Young biography

Ed Young (1931–2023) was a Chinese-born American author and illustrator of children’s books. He was born in Tientsin and grew up in Shanghai. His artwork was shaped by the philosophy of Chinese painting, and he studied at the University of Illinois, the Art Center of Los Angeles, and Pratt Institute in New York City. He illustrated more than eighty children’s books and wrote seventeen of them himself.

His best-known books include Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China, published on 1 November 1989, and Seven Blind Mice, published on 29 April 1992. Lon Po Po won the 1990 Caldecott Medal. Seven Blind Mice became a Caldecott Honor Book. His collaboration with Nancy Larrick, Cats Are Cats, was named one of the Ten Best Illustrated Books of 1988 by The New York Times.

Ed Young often reworked traditional stories and legends. He translated and illustrated Lon Po Po from an ancient Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood, based Seven Blind Mice on a classic Indian tale, and wrote The Sons of the Dragon King: A Chinese Legend. He also created personal and historical books including Voices of the Heart in 1997, The Lost Horse in 1998, Beyond the Great Mountains in 2005, and The House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China in October 2011.