Taiwanese illustrator Jimmy Liao (幾米) has enjoyed unparalleled success over the past decade in East Asia, but his recent collaborations with British and American publishers on children’s books show that his drawings speak a universal language that transcends cultural barriers.
The author-illustrator, known popularly as “Jimmy,” started his career depicting the lives of ordinary people coping with the modern urban world, and works based on that theme became big hits in Taiwan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and many other Asian markets over the last 10 years.
Building on that success, he has now turned to illustrating children’s books written by English-language writers.
His first collaboration with a US publisher, I Can be Anything, was published last month, his agent Lee Yusan (李雨珊) said.
He hopes it will earn him the same acclaim as his first project in the West, The Monster Who Ate Darkness, published last year by UK-based publisher Walker Books for children above three years old.
Written by English author Joyce Dunbar, the book tells the story of a tiny monster that lives under a child’s bed and discovers it likes to eat darkness.
At a previous press conference, the illustrator said that drawing for children has always been his dream, and his output reflects his passion.
His abundant creativity came through in I Can Be Anything, an imaginative joyride about hopes and dreams, written by Newbery-Award winning American author Jerry Spinelli and published by Little, Brown and Company.
And there’s more to come.
“Readers will not need to wait too long to see Jimmy’s third work, which has been completed and sent to Walker Books,” said Lee, who has promoted Jimmy’s art and related products in other parts of Asia.
In addition to pitching his books, Lee is also organizing a “Jimmy art center” in Taipei that plans to incorporate the illustrator’s art and ideas in the center’s design and decor.
The major turning point in Jimmy’s life — and work — came 15 years ago, when he was diagnosed with leukemia.
As a result, his depictions of people became proportionally smaller, a recognition that although individuals cannot change the world, they can face life and the world with grace and a positive attitude.
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