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Yangsook Choi

Yangsook Choi

BIO

Yangsook Choi is the award-winning author and illustrator of The Name Jar and many other picture books, which have been recognized by The New York Times, American Library Association, and International Literacy Association. She has also received over 200 rejection letters—eventually losing count.

Ms. Choi grew up in Korea and began drawing at the age of four. As a child, she also loved telling her grandma scary stories at night. She later studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Over the years, she has drawn with children from around the world, including mountain children in the Himalayas, Bedouin children in the Arabian desert, refugee children from North Korea, and children in a Cambodian orphanage, all of whom she considers to be her greatest teachers.

MOCA Q+A : PART 1

Tell us about your name.
Yangsook means "gentle and pure." It’s good to have a name that you could live up to. Growing up in Korea, however, I was sometimes called “yangdongi (양동이)" instead of “Yangsooki (양숙이)." Years later, when I decided to write a story about a Korean child starting school in America, I gave the protagonist a similar problem.

Other than writing/illustrating, what interesting jobs have you had?
Waiting tables at a smoky Korean BBQ restaurant, flying as a flight attendant, and drawing tiny pictures on fake nails.

How has your heritage influenced your work?
My Korean heritage, culture, and ways naturally emerge in the stories I write, as my background has shaped who I am.

What is a universal theme in your work that everyone can relate to?
Embracing our differences.

What are 3 words that best describe your literary/artistic style?
Character-driven, SEL (social-emotional learning), realistic.

Tell us about your latest literary project.
I’m very excited about my newest book, Slippery, Spicy, Tingly: A Kimchi Mystery (Oct. 2024). A boy smells nothing but trouble when his grandmother comes for a surprise visit. After she digs a deep hole in the backyard and makes a whole lot of kimchi, she disappears as suddenly as she comes. Did she come to bury a secret treasure? As the mystery deepens and the kimchi ripens, waiting for the truth becomes torture for him. Who knew Grandmother could be so slippery?!

What is your favorite English word?
Onomatopoeia.

If you could have dinner with any author, who would it be? What would be your first question?
I’d ask J.R.R. Tolkien, “Can you please read All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter aloud to me?”

What do you do for fun when you're not working?
"Double Doodling" with children. I doodle an image and let the child doodle back. It's a one-on-one, immersive experience that creates an openness and real connection. As the child's hand moves, unconscious thoughts spread across the paper. Big whimsical ideas, epic scribbles, and hidden dreams emerge. Trust me, it’s not all just blobs, minions, and unicorns.

IRIS COLLABORATION

IRIS (Inspiring Readership at International Schools) is a network developed by Tongbang Books to collaborate with international school community in Korea on a wide range of literacy activities, including to support author visits.


Tongbang Books was honored to partner with Dwight School to support Ms Choi's visit in February 2024.


Tongbang Books also supported Ms Choi's visits to Branksome Hall Asia in February 2025, and to Humphreys West Elementary School and Chadwick International in March 2025.

AUTHOR'S FEATURED BOOK

Letter to My Best Friend is an empowering picture book about a child learning a new language to keep in touch with an old friend.


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MOCA Q+A : PART 2

WHEN and WHERE did you find inspiration to write/illustrate Letter to My Best Friend?
During a school visit in New York several years ago, I taught kids how to draw a cat using letters of the alphabet. My agent, who was present, suggested I write a story about drawing with letters. That sparked the idea for the book.

WHAT message do you hope stays with readers after they finish Letter to My Best Friend?
When communicating with a friend, put your heart into it. :)

WHO was your favorite character to write, and why?
The main character, Jihun. I based him on a boy I used to visit at a local orphanage in Korea. He was one of many children I'd take on outings for food and fun. His fun-loving nature made us good friends.

HOW do you hope Korean readers in particular will respond to the book?
I hope readers reflect on their sense of self in different cultural settings and learn to express themselves in ways they find comfortable. If they have a story in their heart, I want them to know they can share it through singing, dancing, acting, drawing, or writing—any way they choose!

AUTHOR’S FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOK

"I was captivated by Holmes' superb analysis of trace evidence, like foot and hoof prints left at crime scenes."

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BOOKS THAT INSPIRED THE AUTHOR

"A great lesson about the paramount importance of love when working with children, especially those from neglected and impoverished immigrant backgrounds."
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"A genuine friendship, though unexpected at first, can be forged through shared hardship and adversity."
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"This book teaches me the value of understanding different perspectives, showing how it can make us grow together."
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