Grace Lin

Much of her work features young Asian and Asian American characters in both everyday and fantastical settings.

• Name — Grace Lin • Born — 17 May 1974 • Birthplace — New Hartford, New York, U.S. • Occupation — * Author • illustrator • Education — Rhode Island School of Design (BFA) • Children — 1 • Awards — Newbery Honor Award (2010) National Book Award Finalist (2016) Caldecott Honor Award (2019) Children's Literature Legacy Award (2022)

Lin was born in 1974 to a Taiwanese American family in New Hartford, New York. Her parents are Jer-Shang Lin, a doctor, and Lin-Lin Lin, a botanist. She grew up in upstate New York, where she and her two sisters, Beatrice and Alice, were the only Asian students at their elementary school. Lin started creating books during her childhood, and in seventh grade, she entered a national book contest for students, winning fourth place and $1000. She later attended the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1996 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in children's book illustration.

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. 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. In 2017 and 2018, she appeared on PBS NewsHour, speaking on representations of race and culture in children’s literature. Lin hosts two podcasts, Book Friends Forever and Kids Ask Authors, started in 2019 and 2020 respectively. She also sits on the advisory committee of We Need Diverse Books, a non-profit organization that promotes diversity in children's literature.

She married Robert Mercer, an architect and fellow RISD alum, in 2001. When he was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare type of cancer, he and Lin moved to Montreal created the fundraiser Robert’s Snow: For Cancer’s Cure based on Lin’s children’s book, Robert’s Snow. Lin and Mercer invited children’s book illustrators to paint wooden snowflakes ornaments which were then auctioned off to raise money for cancer research. The fundraiser auction was held twice, raising over $100,000. 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. Lin resides in Florence, Massachusetts with her family.

Lin often writes about cultural and racial identity, as well as peace and relationships between friends and family. 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. 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. She also incorporates elements from traditional Chinese and Taiwanese fantasy folktales, which are most evident in her Where the Mountain Meets the Moon series.

• The Year of the Dog, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2006. • The Year of the Rat, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2007. • Dumpling Days, 2012.

• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, BOOK 1 Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009. • Starry River of the Sky, BOOK 2 2012. • When the Sea Turned to Silver, BOOK 3 Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2016.

• Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2010. • Ling & Ting Share a Birthday, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2013. • Ling & Ting: Twice as Silly, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2014. • Ling & Ting: Together in All Weather, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2015.

• The Ugly Vegetables, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 1999. • Okie-dokie, Artichokie!, Viking (New York, NY), 2003. • Olvina Flies, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2003. • Robert's Snow, Penguin (New York, NY), 2004. • Jingle Bells, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2004. • Fortune Cookie Fortunes, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 2004. • Deck the Halls, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2004. • The Twelve Days of Christmas, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2004. • Merry Christmas! Let's All Sing!, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2005. • Olvina Swims, Macmillan, 2007, • Our Seasons, Charlesbridge (Watertown, MA), 2006. • The Red Thread: An Adoption Fairy Tale, Albert Whitman and Company, 2007, • Bringing in the New Year, Alfred A. Knopf, 2008, • Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, Alfred A. Knopf, 2010, • A Big Mooncake for Little Star, Little, Brown, 2018, • Mulan: Before the Sword, Disney Press, 2020, • The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon, 2025,

After graduating from RISD and failing to garner attention from publishers, Lin worked for a giftware company, where she designed t-shirts and mugs. 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. A senior editor from Charlesbridge Publishing contacted Lin after taking notice of her illustration samples, inquiring if she had a story to go along with these illustrations. At the time, Lin did not have a story ready, but told the editor that she did. Eventually, she created a corresponding story for these samples, ultimately publishing her first book, The Ugly Vegetables, in 1999. She has since published more than 25 books, many of which she illustrated herself. Lin continues to write and illustrate. Some of her work is housed in the University of Connecticut archives.

Lin’s illustration style uses bright colors, graphic shapes, and intricate, layered patterns. Lin illustrates all her work by hand, with a preference for gouache. Lin developed her current illustration style during her senior year at RISD. 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.

• Roseanne Thong, Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes, Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA), 2000. • Paul Yee, The Jade Necklace, Crocodile Books (New York, NY), 2001. • Dim Sum for Everyone!, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 2001. • 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. • C.C. Cameron, One for Me, One for You: Little Ideas for Caring for Yourself and the World, 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, Roaring Brook Press (Brookfield, CT), 2018. • Martha Brockenbrough, I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2021..