Author-Illustrator Spotlight: You Byun

© You Byun

Oct. 5, 2018

Today we're pleased to feature author-illustrator You Byun and her new book, MILLIE'S MISSING YAWN (Gibbs Smith, Sept. 2018).
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Tell us about yourself and how you came to write and illustrate for children.

I always loved pictures and stories, so picture books seemed like a good choice. For the same reason, I love animations and comic books also. 

© You Byun

© You Byun

Congrats on your new picture book, MILLIE'S MISSING YAWN. Tell us about it and what inspired you.

Thank you! I love bedtime stories. They calm me down with a hint of nostalgia. Good Night Moon, for example. The story for MILLIE'S MISSING YAWN came up naturally when I was exploring the idea of a bedtime story that could help kids go to sleep. It seems my book definitely makes children (and adults) yawn. 

© You Byun

Was your road to publication long and windy, short and sweet, or something in between?

I think it depends on which stage of book making I am in. It could be windy when the story doesn’t set quite right, or it can be extra sweet when everything works out perfectly…until the next morning. It might be just me, but everything looks brilliant at night and appears horrible in the morning. Perhaps I should just work in the afternoon.

© You Byun

What other projects are you working on now?

I am working on my fourth book which I will be writing and illustrating.  

© You Byun

What advice would you give to other aspiring author-illustrators?

Make things only you can make. Don’t worry too much. (I have to say these to myself too.) 

© You Byun

What is one thing most people don't know about you?

I love English Cocker Spaniel (red color) and I often do Google image searches just to look at them. 

© You Byun

Where can people find you online?

http://youbyun.com

https://www.instagram.com/youbyun/

© You Byun

You Jung Byun is an illustrator, storyteller, and lecturer from Korea. She received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Her work has appeared in numerous galleries and magazines including The New York Times, and her portfolio received both Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Portfolio Award and the Tomie dePaola Illustration Award in 2010. Her first children’s book, Dream Friends (Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Random House), which she also wrote, was published to a starred review and named an Editor’s Choice by both the New York Times and Amazon. Her second book, Little Baby Buttercup by Linda Ashman, which she illustrated, was published by the same publisher. She has written and illustrated Millie's Missing Yawn which has just been released by Pavilion Books, and currently working on her forth book as an author-illustrator with Penguin. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her website is: youbyun.com.

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