Jason Chin (born 1978–1979) is an author and illustrator of

children's books A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

. His books, which usually deal with science and nature, were the recipients of a

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

, a Sibert Honor and a

Orbis Pictus Award The Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children recognizes books which demonstrate excellence in the "writing of nonfiction for children." It is awarded annually by the National Council of Teachers of English to one American book p ...

Early life and career

The son of a child psychologist and a teacher, Jason Chin grew up in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

, before moving with his parents to a rural area of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

when he was seven years old. As a teenager, he lived in

Lyme, New Hampshire Lyme is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,745 as of the 2020 census. Lyme is home to the Chaffee Natural Conservation Area. The Dartmouth Skiway is in the eastern part of tow ...

, and attended Hanover High School, at which he met famous illustrator

Trina Schart Hyman Trina Schart Hyman (April 8, 1939 – November 19, 2004) was an American illustrator of children's books. She illustrated over 150 books, including fairy tales and Arthurian legends. She won the 1985 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustrat ...

during a presentation at his school. After being called by Chin for help with an art project, Hyman became his mentor. Chin went to

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

to study illustration, and moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

in 2001. While there, he began to work at a bookstore called

Books of Wonder Books of Wonder is an independent bookstore and publisher based in Manhattan. It was established in 1980 by Peter Glassman and James Carey and is focused on selling antique, classic and new children's books. It has been called "New York City's ol ...

, where he was exposed to a great variety of picture books, and fell in love with the idea of working with that medium. His job included illustrating books published by the store, with ''The Silver Sorceress of Oz'', published in 2002, being his first work. Chin had the idea for his own picture book, ''Redwoods'', in 2007.

Awards

Chin's ''

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

'', published in 2017, was awarded a

and was described as using "book design and inquiry to convey conceptual understanding of geological time and processes." The book was also the recipient of a Caldecott and Sibert Honor. In 2022, Chin's illustrations for ''

Watercress Watercress or yellowcress (''Nasturtium officinale'') is a species of aquatic flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae. Watercress is a rapidly growing perennial plant native to Europe and Asia. It is one of the oldest known leaf ve ...

'' were recognized with a Caldecott Medal.

Selected works

* ''

'', written and illustrated, 2017 * ''

'', illustrated, 2021

Personal life

Chin is married to artist Deirdre Gill and currently lives in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

, with their two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chin, Jason 1970s births American children's book illustrators American children's writers Caldecott Medal winners Living people Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts alumni Writers from New Hampshire