01 Dec / Good-bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong by Frances and Ginger Park, illustrated by Yangsook Choi + Illustrator Profile [in KoreAm Journal]
Drawn to Life: Yangsook Choi, when not being a kid, is busy writing and illustrating children’s books
NEW YORK CITY — By the time Yangsook Choi graduated from art school, she already had her first book contract for what would become The Sun Girl and Moon Boy, a Korean folktale that Choi adapted and illustrated. Her advisor at the prestigious School of Visual Arts in New York City was so taken with her work that he called a few big editors on her behalf. The results were immediate.
“I had a great first start!” she laughs. “Only later did I learn how hard it is to get into children’s publishing.”
Ever since Choi’s first book was published in 1997, her work has garnered much recognition. She is the recipient of the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award and the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award.
A native of Korea, Choi had a whole other career before books, working as a flight attendant for Cathay Pacific, before she was compelled to pursue her dreams and study art at the age of ##. She moved to the United States in 1991 to attend Kendall College of Arts and Design in Michigan, then moved to New York in 1993 to continue her art studies. Since then, she’s produced nine picture books, which include Milly Lee’s Nim and the War Effort, Janet S. Wong’s This New Next Year, and two of Choi’s own, New Cat and The Name Jar, which she wrote and illustrated.
Choi’s latest collaboration, Good-bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong, written by Frances and Ginger Park, is about a young girl’s move from Seoul to a Boston suburb.
“I’m not sure what stroke of the brush Yangsook used to recreate 1952, but it was a magical one,” says Frances Park. “The illustrations are lush and evocative and really bring the story into the young reader’s eye — the little girl’s fear of leaving her home and best friend in Korea, and then her glimmer of hope when she meets a new friend in America.”
Ginger adds, “Yangsook’s illustrations capture the story and transform the reader to a different time and place.”
Whether she’s crafting words or illustrations, Choi’s books reflect her rich Korean heritage. “My Korean culture and background are very unique and different, which makes my stories unique and different,” says Choi. “So it’s a lucky match; not because I have a Korean cultural background, but because I’m always on the lookout for something new and different to write about. So it all fits perfectly.”
Tracy Gates, Choi’s editor at Viking Children’s Book, agrees. “As a children’s book editor, I’m often on the lookout for artwork that’s distinctive, yet will appeal to children. …[click here for more]
Illustrator profile: “Drawn to Life: Yangsook Choi, when not being a kid, is busy writing and illustrating children’s books,” KoreAm Journal, December 2002
Tidbit: Yangook Choi was a wonderful guest for the Smithsonian’s Korean American Centennial Commemoration‘s fall program, “Children’s Books,” on September 13, 2003.
Readers: Children
Published: 2002