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

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

. 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 an affluent town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton ...

, 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 borders 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 ...

, 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 illustra ...

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, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

to study illustration, and moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

in 2001. While there, he began to work at a bookstore called Books of Wonder, 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 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 mile (). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon Nati ...

'', 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 Eurasia. It is one of the oldest known leaf vegetabl ...

'' 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, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

, 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 Caldecott Honor winners