Jin Xiaojing wins for her story I Miss My Grandpa
NEW YORK, NY (June 16, 2017)—Little, Brown Books for Young Readers announces Jin Xiaojing as the winner of the first Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award. This initiative seeks promising new talent and encourages the development of high-quality picture books that resonate with readers of diverse backgrounds and experiences. The program will provide Xiaojing with a valuable day of mentorship by acclaimed illustrator Jerry Pinkney and children’s book professionals, and a monetary prize.
Submissions to the Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award were judged based on the quality of their text, art, and storytelling; the manner in which they supported the award’s diversity mission; and the originality and creativity of their work. Xiaojing was selected by a panel of three representatives from the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers editorial and design team along with artist mentor Jerry Pinkney. For more information, visit LBArtistAward.com.
Jin Xiaojing is a previously unpublished artist who lives in New York, NY, and was born in China. Xiaojing is a recent graduate of the Master of Fine Arts “Illustration as Visual Essay” program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Her picture book manuscript, I Miss My Grandpa, is a thoughtful exploration of family lineage. It tells the autobiographical story of a young girl who never met her deceased grandfather but who yearns to understand the influence his life still has on her and her family. The poignant story is told in both English and Mandarin Chinese. To depict this promising story for young readers, Xiaojing used a striking mix of media, including watercolor, marker, acrylic, colored pencil, and ink, which were applied with a variety of tools, including paintbrush, pen, sponge, and comb. “I wrote this book because I never met my own grandfather,” Xiaojing said. “He died at the age of thirty-four, but I still want to know everything about him, and have always felt he is with us.”
“Jin’s evocative artwork and emotive story made I Miss My Grandpa a standout submission for the Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award,” said Megan Tingley, Executive Vice President and Publisher, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. “The premise of a child learning about ancestry and how family lives on through its descendants, and the bilingual element beautifully meets the contest’s mission of bringing more diverse perspectives into children’s literature. Jin’s mixed-media art style is entirely distinctive, daring, and arresting. We couldn’t be more pleased to have her as our winner of the first Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award.”
Xiaojing responded to the news with pleasure. “I’m delighted to receive this award! It is especially meaningful because I’ve just graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a master’s degree after having studied children’s book illustration for four years. Having a chance to meet publishing professionals is an exciting next step.”
The details of next year’s Emerging Artist Award contest will be posted at LBArtistAward.com in September.
About Jerry Pinkney
Jerry Pinkney was recently awarded the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal and the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. He also has the rare distinction of being the recipient of five Caldecott Honors, and is the winner of the 2010 Caldecott Medal for The Lion & the Mouse, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Pinkney has won the Coretta Scott King Award five times and the Coretta Scott King Honor four times, has been named to the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books list five times, and has been nominated for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. He was also the first children’s book illustrator elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Pinkney has been illustrating children’s books since 1964 and has over one hundred titles to his name. In addition to his work in children’s books, he has had over thirty one-man exhibitions in such venues as the Art Institute of Chicago; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, New York; the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; and many more. Pinkney has been called “an unparalleled artist” (Kirkus Reviews). He lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.
About Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers publishes a boutique, acclaimed picture book list featuring a wide variety of topics, genres, and art styles. The award judges from our publishing team include senior-level art directors and editors with decades of experience, all of whom have worked on multiple Caldecott award recipients, national bestsellers, classic children’s book characters, and New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book recipients on our backlist. Releasing approximately two dozen new hardcover titles per year, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers’ carefully curated collection of picture books seeks to balance depth, diversity, and genuine child appeal to create accessible stories worthy of multiple readings.
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers is a division of Hachette Book Group, a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre (a Lagardère company), the third-largest trade and educational publisher in the world. HBG is made up of eight publishing groups: Little, Brown and Company; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Grand Central Publishing; Perseus Books; Orbit; Hachette Books; Hachette Nashville; and Hachette Audio. For more information, visit hbgusa.com.