Jainal Amambing, illustrator

Jainal is an award-winning illustrator based in Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. His books have been published in English and Malay and include: The Proud Butterfly (runner up prize in the 2000 Noma Concours for Children’s Picture Book Illustration); The Magic Buffalo; The Wonderful Sparrow; and The Last Day I Lived in a Long House (2nd prize in the 2006 Noma Councours for Children's Picture Book Illustration and recently published by One Red Flower Press). His illustrations are also featured in Under the Spell of the Moon: Art for Children from the World's Great Illustrators (Groundwood Books, 2004), a book published in honor of and to support the important work done by The International Board of Books for Young People (IBBY).

Chong Yat-Yee, writer

Yat-Yee has always loved music and words. She pursued music first, earning degrees in piano performance and pedagogy. After a rich career of performing and teaching, she has turned her focus to writing. Her manuscript, The Kumquat Code (shortlisted for the 2011 Scholastic Asian Book Award), is based on her experiences at the Malaysian National Music Camps and the inaugural ASEAN Youth Music Workshop. She lives in Colorado with her husband and two children in a home filled with music and books.

Peter Draw, illustrator

Peter started drawing at the age of 3, and began drawing professionally when he was 16 years old. He discovered that his drawings made other people happy too, and he has been drawing happiness for himself and others since.

Awang Fadilah, illustrator

Malaysian illustrator Awang Fadilah's books have been published in English and Malay. His book Land Below the Wind was a runner-up in the 2006 Noma Concours for Children’s Picture Book Illustration.

Yusof Gajah, writer and illustrator

The roots of Yusof Gajah’s current paintings come from more than two decades of exploring naïve art not only for art’s sake but also for its story telling possibilities. An accomplished children’s book illustrator, Yusof has received numerous awards, including the Best Children's Book Illustration from the National Book Council of Malaysia and the Noma Concours Grand Prix Award in Tokyo, Japan for his book, The Real Elephant. Best loved for his delightful children’s book Tiga Ekor Gajah, Yusof reveals himself as a storyteller with a senstitive way of imparting knowledge and a wry wit that ignites the imaginations of children and adults alike. He is a director of the Yusof Gajah Lingard Literary Agency in Malaysia.

Gavin is a freelance art director and illustrator from Singapore. He enjoys concept work and drawing. The idea for his first picture book, Rochee the Friendliest Cockroach, arose from his fascination with the notion of a superhero cockroach and was submitted for The First Time Writers & Illustrators Publishing Initiative 2009, an initiative by the Media Development Authority (MDA) and the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS).

Rukhsana Khan, writer

Rukhsana Khan is an award-winning author and storyteller. She was born in Lahore, Pakistan and immigrated to Canada at the age of three. Her books include Wanting Mor, A New Life, and Many Windows: Six Kids, Five Faiths, One Community. She has appeared on television and radio numerous times, has been featured at international conferences in Denmark, Mexico, Singapore, Italy, and South Africa, and has presented all across Canada and the U.S. She tells tales of India, Persia, and the Middle East. She has four grown children (three girls and a boy) and four grandchildren. She lives in Toronto with her husband and family. Rukhsana is a member of SCBWI, The Writers Union of Canada, CANSCAIP, and Storytelling Toronto.

Lynn Le

Lynn Le lives in Singapore with her husband and two children. Her children's book I Don't Want Mei Mei Anymore! was inspired by her desire to help her son adjust to the arrival of his baby sister. The book was illustrated by Phua San San and was submitted in the “First-Time Writers & Illustrators Publishing Initiative” for 2008.

Pooja Makhijani, writer

Pooja Makhijani, the author of the picture book Mama’s Saris, has her essays and short fiction published in a number of children’s literary magazines, including Cicada, Kahani, and New Moon, She has taught writing and children’s literature at Western Connecticut State University and Middlesex Country College. In addition, Pooja has conducted writing workshops ans presentations at a number of colleges and universities, schools, libraries, and other educational institutions all over the United States. She maintains a comprehensive online bibliography of South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora in Children’s Literature.

Moe Thant Nwe (Yuri), writer

Yuri is a young writer and was one of the contestants who submitted their manuscripts for the 2011 Scholastic Asian Book Award. She has also contributed articles for school newsletters.

Nur Azmi is a visual artist, graphic novelist, writer, illustrator and musician based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He’s a prolific illustrator who has published around forty books and graphic novels in both English and Malay.

Sarah Joan Mokhtar, writer and illustrator

Sarah Joan Mokhtar is an award-winning cartoonist and published illustrator based in Selangor, Malaysia. Her books include How Tiffy Found a Home and The Ecokids environmental series.

Yixian Quek, writer

Yixian Quek graduated from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (NTU). In her free time she loves creating cool stuff - be it ads, books, T-shirts, short films or random doodles. Her book The Book That Was Handed Down won the inaugural 2011 Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award.

Marjorie Sayer, writer

Marjorie Sayer was born in Hong Kong and moved to Vancouver, BC, Canada when she was five. She has many memories of that year because everything was so different: “my school, my apartment, my neighbors.” She has been fortunate to feel part of a multi-national world from an early age. Marjorie now resides in the USA and her big loves are literature, mathematics, and travel. She studied math at university and when she is not reading, writing, or traveling, she teaches math at a local college. Her favorite activities are all shared with her husband Alan Liu and two daughters. Marjorie's manuscript The Girl Mechanic Of Wanzhou won second prize in the inaugural 2011 Scholastic Asian Book Award.

Tan Chao Ling, illustrator

Victoria Siaw Wei Yah, writer

14-year-old Victoria Siaw Wei Yah from Malaysia has written eight children’s stories which were published in 2008 by Future Text Publications Sdn Bhd. Her own story is certainly an inspiration for budding young writers who want their voices and muses to be heard and read.

Grace Duan Ying, illustrator

Grace Duan Ying was born in Hong Kong and came to study in Singapore at the age of 12. She graduated from the Temasek Polytechnic School of Design in 2007, majoring in Publication and Illustration. She illustrated The Book That Was Handed Down, which won the inaugural Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award in 2011.

Ovidia Yu, writer

Ovidia Yu has written novels, short stories, musicals and over thirty plays. She has received the NAC Young Artist Award (Drama and Fiction), the Singapore Youth Award (Arts and Culture), and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Singapore Foundation Award for outstanding contribution to the development of arts.  In her first attempt at writing for children Ovidia sought to recapture the magic she found in books at the age when she first discovered a love of reading that has remained with her all her life – except that she sets the story in Singapore. (And still loves reading children’s books). Ovidia Yu won third prize in the 2011 inaugral Scholastic Asian Book Award for her manuscript The Mudskipper.

Emila Yusof, writer and illustrator

Emila is an illustrator, graphic designer and award-winning blogger. She has published books in both Malay and English. Her book My Mother's Garden was the first picture book published by One Red Flower Press.

Wong Si-Y, illustrator

She sketches, photographs and muses. She is an art educator, illustrator and playful visual communicator. Her blogs tracks her creative journey, from past ports of call in the design world, to newer horizons in publishing and picture book illustration. Her work was one of the works selected for the AFCC Book Illustrators’ Gallery (BIG) 2011.

Posted July 2011