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| Ed Young | |
Ed Young, "whose illustrations in some 100 children's books, many of which he also wrote, mesmerized young and not-so-young readers with intricate depictions of fairy tales, poetry and his own life story as a Chinese immigrant," died September 29, the New York Times reported. He was 91.
Trained as an architect and having worked as a graphic designer, Young never intended to become an illustrator of children's books. But a chance opportunity to work on the book The Mean Mouse and Other Mean Stories (1962) by Janice May Udry led to widespread praise, a deal with an agent, and a 60-year career as one of the country's most beloved children's artists.
Young "churned out books across a wide variety of subjects and media, among them collage, pencil and charcoal, and experimented with different bookmaking formats, like accordion," the Times wrote, adding that many of his favorite techniques drew on traditions from his native China, which also inspired much of his subject matter.
Lon Po Po (1991), a traditional Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood, was the first book that he also wrote. It won a Caldecott Medal.
"I feel that my job to be in this country is to learn as much about the West as I can and introduce the East as much as I can," he said in a 2005 interview with the website Teaching Books. "So, my books are a study of cultures and of hearts from both sides, and introducing one to the other."
Born in Tianjin, Young was three when his family moved south to Shanghai, where they lived through the Japanese occupation of the city during World War II--an experience he recounted in The House That Baba Built (2011). When he was 17, he received a student visa to the U.S. and studied architecture and art. After college, Young began working with an advertising design studio in Manhattan, but found the job unrewarding and spent his lunch hours at the Central Park Zoo, drawing animals. When the studio shut down, friends suggested he try illustrating children's books, though he knew nothing about them.
Ursula Nordstrom, an editor at Harper & Row, liked his work enough to assign him to illustrate The Mean Mouse and Other Mean Stories. An award from the American Institute of Graphic Arts established him as one of the country's foremost illustrators. He won a Caldecott Honor award in 1968 for The Emperor and His Kite by Jane Yolen, and another Caldecott Honor award for Seven Blind Mice, which he also wrote, in 1993.
Young took up tai chi in 1964 and became a respected teacher. "The practice of tai chi is about discovering yourself," he said in an interview. "Art is about the same thing--find out about yourself. How do you produce something that is satisfying? How do you state something in the simplest manner for the maximum effect? How do you use a moment? How do you wait for the opportunity?"