A01=Cao Wenxuan
A12=Suzy Lee
AAPI East Asian author character family story
art
Author_Cao Wenxuan
Author_Suzy Lee
canvas
Category=YBC
Category=YBCS
Category=YXD
Category=YXE
challenge
Chinese author
creativity
determination
eq_activity-picture-books
eq_baby-toddler-early-learning
eq_bestseller
eq_childrens
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_personal-social-topics
failure
growing as an artist
Hans Christian Andersen Award
hard work
honing skill
improving
Korean illustrator
magic
natural talent
painting
perseverance
supportive parents
Product details
- ISBN 9781665931199
- Weight: 501g
- Dimensions: 210 x 298mm
- Publication Date: 12 Feb 2026
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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Joy hums from this “glorious…beautifully styled” (Booklist, starred review) picture book celebration of the richness of the African heritage behind braids, locs, cornrows, and all manner of crowning glory, from ancient times to present day—perfect for fans of Sulwe and We Are the Ship.
Yulu has all the makings of a great artist, her teachers and parents agree. But can she paint a self-portrait? Yulu isn’t sure, even when she finds the perfect canvas made of special linen. She summons her courage and paints. But the next day, the paint has run and oozed and dripped—the painting is ruined!
Yulu picks her brush back up, but day after day, the linen of her canvas itself seems to be rebuffing her attempts. Yulu, undeterred, works on and on. More than a battle with the opinionated linen, this artistic battle is one Yulu wages with herself. Through determination and hard work, can she grow past her natural talent and prove herself worthy of the task before her?
Yulu has all the makings of a great artist, her teachers and parents agree. But can she paint a self-portrait? Yulu isn’t sure, even when she finds the perfect canvas made of special linen. She summons her courage and paints. But the next day, the paint has run and oozed and dripped—the painting is ruined!
Yulu picks her brush back up, but day after day, the linen of her canvas itself seems to be rebuffing her attempts. Yulu, undeterred, works on and on. More than a battle with the opinionated linen, this artistic battle is one Yulu wages with herself. Through determination and hard work, can she grow past her natural talent and prove herself worthy of the task before her?
Cao Wenxuan is the first ever Chinese recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for his book Bronze and Sunflower. As the author of dozens of books for children, he is considered one of China’s most revered writers. He is also a professor of Chinese literature and children’s literature at Peking University. His work has been translated all over the world.
Suzy Lee is a recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the first Korean illustrator to win the honor. She’s twice had books chosen for the New York Times Best Illustrated Award, has won a Gold Medal at the Society of Illustrators, and has won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature. Her titles include Wave, This Beautiful Day, and Shadow. A graduate of Seoul National University, she lives and works in Seoul.
Helen Wang is a London-based translator who won the Marsh Award for Literature in Translation for her translation of Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan. In 2017 she was awarded the Chen Bochui Special Contribution Award for her translations and increasing visibility of Chinese children’s books. She is also a curator of East Asian Money at the British Museum.
Suzy Lee is a recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the first Korean illustrator to win the honor. She’s twice had books chosen for the New York Times Best Illustrated Award, has won a Gold Medal at the Society of Illustrators, and has won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature. Her titles include Wave, This Beautiful Day, and Shadow. A graduate of Seoul National University, she lives and works in Seoul.
Helen Wang is a London-based translator who won the Marsh Award for Literature in Translation for her translation of Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan. In 2017 she was awarded the Chen Bochui Special Contribution Award for her translations and increasing visibility of Chinese children’s books. She is also a curator of East Asian Money at the British Museum.
