Belle Yang | Author

Belle Yang
adult nonficition, graphic novel, children's picture book

Latest News & Events

Miami Book Fair International

Nov.13.2011

I will be in Miami from November 16 through 20 to speak to college classes and on a panel about graphic novels of international scope. This year, the Miami Book Fair International focuses on China. Join me at 2 PM on Saturday the 19th in the Prometeo Theater, Bldg 1, second Floor on the Miami Dade College Campus.

Featured Works

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PUBLISHED: Jun.01.2011

Forget Sorrow: An Ancestral Tale

Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly With a lilting voice and a strongly etched fairy tale hand, writer/artist Yang weaves a riveting true-life tale of ancestral jealousies and familial woes from her father's recollections of growing up in China. Her book begins with Yang in her 20s, recently graduated from college but unable to get herself out into the...

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PUBLISHED: Feb.10.2009

Foo the Flying Frog of Washtub Pond

In a cozy, tropical place called Washtub Pond, three web-footed creatures pass carefree days playing and dreaming together. Sue-Lin Salamander, Mao-Mao Mudpuppy, and Foo Frog have been best, samesize friends since the day they were born. But like all young creatures, these three grow up — and some really BIG changes in Foo Frog put the trio’s friendship to the test. With warmth,...

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PUBLISHED: Aug.19.2004

Hannah Is My Name

With Chinese-influenced paintings in jewel-like colors, Belle Yang tells an immigration tale that reflects one of the many facets of the American dream. Please visit www.belleyang.com to see more of the art.

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PUBLISHED: Oct.01.1996

The Odyssey of a Manchurian

The author recounts her father's dramatic flight from his native village in Manchuria during China's civil war, fighting his way amid a wave of suspicion, paranoia, and greed that arose with the imminent Communist takeover.

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PUBLISHED:

Baba: A Return to China Upon My Father's Shoulders

Baba ("papa" in Chinese) recounts the colorful childhood tales of Yang's father, who grew up at a time of great political and social upheaval in China. Behind the protective walls of the House of Yang, Baba is immersed in a world of the legends and colorful characters of village life. Yang's beautiful watercolors accompany each story and create "an astonishing...

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PUBLISHED: Apr.24.2012

Summertime Rainbow

In English and Mandarin Chinese, Belle Yang's bilingual board books celebrate the natural world with simple concepts and beautiful, bold illustrations. It's summer, and the meadow is in full bloom. As some bunnies hop along, they see blue sky, white clouds, and yummy green grass. How many more colors can be found? Look for an explanation of tonal marks at the end of the story...

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PUBLISHED: Apr.24.2012

A Nest in Springtime

In English and Mandarin Chinese, Belle Yang's bilingual board books celebrate the natural world with simple concepts and beautiful, bold illustrations. In springtime, when wild geese come to nest, there are eggs for counting. But how many goslings will there be? And how many in the whole paddling family, when Papa and Mama join them? Tonal marks used in the book are explained...

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PUBLISHED: Sep.01.2007

Always Come Home to Me

A moving and uplifting tale of two children and their parents, and the beloved pet doves that help them to understand one another. "Fei, fei — fly, fly, little birds, but always come home to me!" Mei-Mei and Di-Di are head-over-heels in love with their new doves. Like devoted parents, the siblings tenderly nurture Butterfly and Squeaky as they grow from chicks to...

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PUBLISHED: Feb.16.2000

Becoming American: Personal Essays by First Generation Immigration Women

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PUBLISHED: Apr.05.1999

Chili-Chili-Chin-Chin

Best friends come in many shapes and sizes, and all it takes to make a friend is caring, sharing, and love. Just ask Chili-Chili-Chin-Chin, a mischievous little donkey whose best friend named him for the sound his bells make. With vibrant jewel-like artwork and gentle words, Belle Yang tells this charming tale of unexpected friendship between an impetuous donkey and a lovable boy.

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Belle's Latest Blogs

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May.14.2012 - 3:02 pm

New York Times Book Review: My Humble Board Book

When my last adult nonfiction came out to great reviews, try as WW Norton my publisher might, we could not land a review in the coveted NYTimes. So when my humble bilingual...

May.03.2012 - 4:19 pm

Chinese is Tough to Translate

I've mistakenly posted this in a blog. So be it. It was a curiously painstaking process of working on a Mandarin reader for English speakers. My editor, who is...

Nov.05.2011 - 9:10 pm

Artist Heal Thyself

History is linear for Westerners. For me, especially my personal history, it’s a spiraling up. When I began writing after my 3-year sojourn to China in the late 80s...

Oct.16.2011 - 6:40 pm

Chinese Exclusion

There are no statues or plaques to commemorate them, just a few illusive names like China Cove, China Camp remain of their tenure in California. Few of my friends who live in...

Comments from Belle

Dec.26.2011 - 10:16 am

In response to: Forget Sorrow: A Graphic Memoir

Hi, Tom

http://redroom.com/member/belle-yang/blog/steinbeck-ching-chong-chinaman Lovely to hear from you in China. Your...

Nov.19.2011 - 4:59 pm

In response to: Artist Heal Thyself

Eric,

Great to hear from you in Alaska. I am at the Miami Book Festival. No polar bears. Alligators.

Nov.06.2011 - 9:30 pm

In response to: Artist Heal Thyself

Hi, Dale

Nice image of you kicking around pebbles or listening to the wooshing of the waves as they suck the sand out. The...

Nov.06.2011 - 9:27 pm

In response to: Artist Heal Thyself

Hi, Rosie,

And it seems a disaster to go through your life never stopping to reach out and grasping nothing. Some people...

Nov.05.2011 - 9:52 pm

In response to: Artist Heal Thyself

Just thinking of you

Funny, you were on my mind and you popped up in a comment. Thanks as always, John. I hope you are taking...

Writing

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Article: Nightmare in Tiananmen Square

Article: Life and Death in Beijing

Short Story: The Language of Dreams

Published Reviews

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May.13.2012

Summertime Rainbow

Published by New York Times

SUMMERTIME RAINBOWA Bilingual Book of Colors.Written and illustrated by Belle Yang.24 pp. Candlewick Press. $6.99. (Board book; ages 1 to 4) Published with a...

Audio & Video

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Image Gallery: "Forget Sorrow: An Ancestral Tale," a graphic memoir

Video: Foo the Flying Frog of Washtub Pond

Video: Forget Sorrow: A Graphic Memoir

About Belle

Belle Yang, subject of the PBS documentary, “My Name is Belle,” is often asked whether she is primarily a writer or a painter. Answer: "When I'm writing, I'm a writer; when I'm painting, I'm a painter." Is she a children's author or writers of adult...

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