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Drawing the Child Inside
author and illustrator Grace Lin

By Ji Hyun Lim

Grace Lin.

Author and illustrator of numerous books such as Round is a Mooncake, The Ugly Vegetables and most recently Dim Sum for Everyone, Grace Lin has translated many of her life experiences into beautifully illustrated pictures and clearly written prose for children.

Lin grew up in Upstate New York and attended the Rhode Island School of Design, majoring in children’s book illustration. She has also illustrated for magazines such as Seventeen, Girls’ Life and Cicada. Lin is 27 years old and is planning to move from New York City to Los Angeles.

 

Asian Week: How long have you been a writer?

Grace Lin: I’ve been writing for five years and I’ve been writing and illustrating ever since I’ve been in school — so that’s 10 years now.

 

AW: How do you relate to children as an adult?

GL: The books I do are mainly books that I wish I had when I was younger. Most of my books are Asian based and a lot of that is because there were no Asian books. I really wanted to do books I was hungry for as a child. I do it more for the child I was than for children whom I know.

 

AW: Do you also write for other audiences?

GL: A couple of my new books are about a chicken riding an airplane. The first couple books are so personal. For example, Dim Sum for Everyone, it’s based on my family, my father, mother and my two sisters. I’d like to think it’s for everyone. I do like having the APIA angle to it. They are based on my experience as a child. Books without an APIA angle are from my imagination.

 

AW: What are the important elements you need in a children’s book?

GL: It’s subjective, but I like pictures to be colorful and attractive and words to be simple and clean. I think, especially today with so many things like TV and Nintendo, children’s books have to be pretty interesting to compete with those things. And children’s books have to get straight to the point. Adult books can be more descriptive or obscure, but children’s books cut through all of that. That’s the beauty of children’s books.

 

AW: What are the steps before an idea becomes a creation?

GL: I carry a sketch book with millions of ideas. Sometimes, I will be riding on the subway and an idea will hit me and I just jot it down. When I get to the studio, I ask myself which of these ideas are the most interesting. I’ll pick a couple and I’ll try to develop it in to a book format. Once you develop it to a book format, you can usually tell if you can go all the way or not. From there, I’ll try to pitch it to a publisher and usually they’ll accept or decline the idea.

 

AW: Do you have other writers and illustrators you admire?

GL: Elisa Kleven and Richard Scarry.

 

AW: Is it possible to make a living as a children’s book writer?

GL: Definitely. That’s all I do now. It’s difficult in the beginning. I’ve been writing and illustrating for five years now. It’s only been this last year and a half that things have really come through for me where I can really support myself without only eating macaroni and cheese.

 

AW: What is your advice to aspiring children’s book writers?

GL: Be persistent. There’s a lot of rejection and hard work but it’s worth it in the end. There were times I didn’t think I could make it. But as long as you’re willing to make the sacrifice, you’ll make it.

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