Guojing is a Chinese author and illustrator best known for her children's books. Her debut book The Only Child, a wordless graphic novel,[1] was selected as one of the best illustrated children's books of 2015 by The New York Times[2] and as one of the 10 best picture books of 2015 by Publishers Weekly.[3]

Guojing
A close-up of a young Chinese woman wearing a black jacket, a straw hat and round glasses smiling and giving a "thumbs up" to the camera
Guojing in September 2016, during the Berlin International Literature Festival in Berlin, Germany
OccupationArtist, children's book author
Notable worksThe Only Child
Stormy
The Flamingo
Website
www.guojingart.com

Life and career edit

Guojing was born in Shanxi, a province in northern China. She became interested in making art thanks to an art class she took when she was ten years old.[4] She has stated that the isolation and loneliness that she felt as she was growing up under China's one-child policy later provided inspiration for her debut book, The Only Child.[5][6]

She attended Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts and graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.[7] She has previously worked as a concept artist for animated TV shows and games, but the publication and success of The Only Child allowed her to move to working full time on her own work.[4] She followed the publication of that book with two more books for children, Stormy in 2019 and The Flamingo in 2022.[8][9] Guojing has stated that The Flamingo, a nearly wordless graphic novel for children, was inspired in part by her experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the death of her grandmother and the birth of her first child.[10] She now lives in Vancouver, Canada and has stated that she is working on a science fiction graphic novel about artificial intelligence.[11]

Bibliography edit

  • The Only Child (2015)[1]
  • Stormy: A Story About Finding a Forever Home (2019)[8]
  • The Flamingo (2022)[9]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "The Only Child". Kirkus Reviews. 15 September 2015.
  2. ^ "The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2015". The New York Times. 2015-10-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  3. ^ "Best Books of 2015". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  4. ^ a b Gilmore, Natasha (11 December 2015). "Fall 2015 Flying Starts: Guojing". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  5. ^ "The Only Child by Guojing". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  6. ^ Wang, Serenitie (28 April 2016). "China's 'loneliest generation' finds solace in art". CNN. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  7. ^ "Guojing". www.penguin.com.au. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  8. ^ a b "Stormy by Guojing". Kirkus Reviews. 15 June 2019.
  9. ^ a b "The Flamingo". Kirkus Reviews. 1 September 2022.
  10. ^ Eliopulos, Andrew (21 November 2022). "Stories That Soar: Interview with 2022 Best Books Cover Illustrator Guojing". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  11. ^ Bird, Betsy (10 August 2022). "The Flamingo: An Interview with Guojing About Her Latest, Loveliest Creation". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-11-27.