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Grace Lin (born May 17, 1974) is a Taiwanese-American children's writer and illustrator. She is a Newbery, Geisel, and Caldecott honoree, known for contributing to and advocating for Asian-American representation and diversity in children’s literature.

Early life and education

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Lin was born in 1974 in New Hartford, New York, to Taiwanese immigrants Jer-Shang Lin, a doctor, and Lin-Lin Lin, a botanist.[1][2][3] She grew up in upstate New York, where she and her two sisters, Beatrice and Alice, were the only Asian students in their elementary school.[4][5] Lin started creating books during her childhood, and in seventh grade, she entered a national book contest for students, winning fourth place and $1000.[6]

Against her parents’ wishes, she later attended Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1996 with a BFA in children's book illustration.[1][7][8]

Career

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Writing and illustration

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After graduating from RISD and failing to garner attention from publishers, Lin worked for a giftware company, where she designed t-shirts and mugs.[9] After a couple of years, she got laid off from that job and decided to pursue her dream of being a children’s book author and illustrator.[9] Harold Underdown, a senior editor from Charlesbridge Publishing, contacted Lin after taking notice of her illustration samples. Lin created a corresponding story for these samples, ultimately publishing her first book, The Ugly Vegetables, in 1999.[10] She has since published over 25 books, many of which she illustrated herself. Lin continues to write and illustrate.[11] Some of her work is housed in the University of Connecticut archives.[12]

Other work

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In 2016, Lin gave a TEDx presentation entitled “The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf,” in which she advocates for increased awareness of diversity in children’s books.[13] Since 2017, Lin has written nine commentaries for the New England Public Radio, most often writing about her personal experiences as a parent and Asian-American author.[14] In 2017 and 2018, she appeared on PBS NewsHour, speaking on representations of race and culture in children’s literature.[14][15] Lin also hosts two podcasts, Kids Ask Authors and Book Friends Forever.[11]

She also sits on the advisory committee of We Need Diverse Books, a non-profit organization that promotes diversity in children's literature.[16]

Personal life

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She married Robert Mercer, an architect and fellow RISD alum, in 2001.[17] When he was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare type of cancer, he and Lin moved to Montreal and created the fundraiser Robert’s Snow: For Cancer’s Cure based on Lin’s children’s book, Robert’s Snow.[17] Lin and Mercer invited children’s book illustrators to paint wooden snowflake ornaments which were then auctioned off to raise money for cancer research.[17] The fundraiser auction was held twice, raising over $100,000.[18] Upon Mercer’s death in 2007, the fundraiser was discontinued. She remarried in 2010 to Alexandre Ferron, with whom she has a daughter, Hazel, born in 2012.[19] As of 2022, Lin resides in Florence, Massachusetts with her family.[20]

Style and themes

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Themes

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Lin often writes about cultural and racial identity, as well as peace and relationships between friends and family.[21][11] Many of Lin’s works revolve around the experiences of Asian and Asian-American characters, and she often draws directly from her own personal experiences, particularly in her Pacy series.[11][9][21] By featuring Asian American protagonists in everyday situations and emphasizing diversity within the Asian American experience, argues Duke University Professor Susan Thananopavarn, Lin’s books confront and subvert both Western and global stereotypes surrounding the AAPI community.[21] She also incorporates elements from traditional Chinese and Taiwanese fantasy folktales, which are most evident in her Where the Mountain Meets the Moon series.[22]

Illustration style

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Lin’s illustration style uses bright colors, graphic shapes, and intricate, layered patterns.[23][1] Lin illustrates all her work by hand, with a preference for gouache[24]. Lin developed her current illustration style during her senior year at RISD.[9] Lin has noted that her inspiration stems from a combination of traditional Chinese folk art and the work of European artists such as Matisse and Van Gogh.[9][6]

Awards and reception

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Lin has won multiple literary awards for her work, including a Newbery Medal for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon in 2010, a Theodor Seuss Geisel award for Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same! in 2011, a National Book Award finalist for When the Sea Turned Silver in 2016, and a Caldecott Medal for A Big Mooncake for Little Star in 2019.[25][26][27][28] Many of her books have received starred reviews from outlets such as Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Horn Book Magazine, and she has been nominated for numerous awards throughout her career.[29] In 2016, she was recognized as one of ten Champions of Change for AAPI Art and Storytelling by the Obama administration, and her art was shown in the White House.[30] Furthermore, in recognition of her "significant and lasting contribution to literature for children," Lin won the 2022 Children's Literature Legacy Award.[20]

List of works

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Author and illustrator

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Pacy series

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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon series

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Ling & Ting series

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Other works

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Illustrator

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  • Roseanne Thong, Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes, Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA), 2000. ISBN 9780811826761
  • Paul Yee, The Jade Necklace, Crocodile Books (New York, NY), 2001.
  • Dim Sum for Everyone!, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 2001. ISBN 978-0-375-91082-1
  • Roseanne Thong, Red is a Dragon: A Book of Colors, Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA), 2001.
  • Dana Meachen Rau, My Favorite Foods, Compass Point Books (Minneapolis, MN), 2001.
  • Frances Park and Ginger Park, Where on Earth Is My Bagel?, Lee & Low (New York, NY), 2001.
  • Cari Meister, A New Roof, Children's Press (New York, NY), 2002.
  • Kite Flying, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 2002. ISBN 978-0-375-81520-1
  • C.C. Cameron, One for Me, One for You, Roaring Brook Press (Brookfield, CT), 2003.
  • Kathy Tucker, The Seven Chinese Sisters, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2003.
  • Roseanne Thong, One is a Drummer: A Book of Numbers, Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA), 2004.
  • Eleanor Roosevelt and Michelle Markel, When You Grow Up to Vote: How Our Government Works for You
  1. ^ a b c "TeachingBooks | Author & Book Resources to Support Reading Education". www.teachingbooks.net. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  2. ^ "Lin, Grace 1974– | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  3. ^ "Grace Lin". Britannica Kids. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  4. ^ Blais, Madeleine. "A Touch of Grace". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  5. ^ "A video interview with Grace Lin". Reading Rockets. 2013-08-09. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  6. ^ a b "Interview with Grace Lin". Pine Manor College. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  7. ^ "Artists Start Early | RISD". www.risd.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  8. ^ Lim, Ji H. "Drawing the Child Inside: Grace Lin." Asianweek, 2001, pp. 22.
  9. ^ a b c d e Walton, Julie (July 8, 2010). "Q & A with Grace Lin".
  10. ^ "Grace Lin". PBS LearningMedia. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  11. ^ a b c d Zhuang, Victoria. "Grace Lin Led the Way on Diversity in Children's Literature." Boston Globe, 2021, pp. N.1.
  12. ^ "Collection: Grace Lin Papers | UConn Archives & Special Collections ArchivesSpace". archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  13. ^ The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child's Bookshelf | Grace Lin | TEDxNatick, retrieved 2022-05-02
  14. ^ a b "Grace Lin". New England Public Media. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  15. ^ "What to do when you realize classic books from your childhood are racist". PBS NewsHour. 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  16. ^ "Grace Lin - Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures". Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  17. ^ a b c Maughan, Shannon. "Children's Artists Help Fund Cancer Research." Publishers Weekly, vol. 251, no. 39, 2004, pp. 30.
  18. ^ sibookdragon (2005-11-03). "Robert's Snow by Grace Lin and Robert's Snowflakes: Artists' Snowflakes for Cancer's Cure compiled by Grace Lin and Robert Mercer [in AsianWeek]". BookDragon. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  19. ^ Castillo, Andy (January 28, 2019). "Dumplings for all: Author Grace Lin shares her Lunar New Year traditions".
  20. ^ a b SZALUSKY (2022-01-24). "Grace Lin wins 2022 Children's Literature Legacy Award". News and Press Center. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  21. ^ a b c Thananopavarn, Susan. "Negotiating Asian American Childhood in the Twenty-First Century: Grace Lin's Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Dumpling Days." The Lion and the Unicorn, vol. 38, no. 1, 2014a, pp. 106-122.
  22. ^ "How Grace Lin's Mom Coaxed Her Into Reading Chinese Stories". Literary Hub. 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  23. ^ "Grace Lin". www.lasell.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  24. ^ Lin, Grace. "Gouache and I." Horn Book Magazine, vol. 90, no. 2, 2014, pp. 26-27.
  25. ^ "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon | Awards & Grants". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  26. ^ "A Big Mooncake for Little Star | Awards & Grants". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  27. ^ Dwyer, Colin (2016-10-06). "These Are The 2016 National Book Award Finalists". NPR. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  28. ^ LSCHULTE (2019-12-20). "2019 Caldecott Medal and Honor Books". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  29. ^ "Grace Lin Book & Series List - FictionDB". www.fictiondb.com. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  30. ^ "AAPI Heritage Month Recap: Champions for Art and Storytelling". whitehouse.gov. 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2022-04-27.