Yuyi Morales

Yuyi Morales
Morales at the 2016 Texas Book Festival
Born	(1968-11-07) November 7, 1968 Xalapa, Veracruz
Occupation	Author, Illustrator
Nationality	American, Mexican
Period	c. 1997–present
Genre	Children's fantasy,
Website
yuyimorales.com

Yuyi Morales (born in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico on November 7, 1968)^[1] is an author and illustrator of many notable and award winning children's books. Some of her most famous books include Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book, Little Night, and Viva Frida, which received the 2015 Pura Belpre Medal for illustration as well as the 2015 Caldecott Award Honor. Morales is the first Latina to receive the prestigious Caldecott Award.^[2]

Early life

Yuyi Morales was born in the city of Xalapa in the Mexican State of Veracruz in 1968. She is the oldest of four children. As a child she loved drawing, and often paired her pictures with stories. Her mother was a homemaker, “She made all our clothes, coats, hats, underwear. She made the bedspreads, the curtains, the lamps, everything,” Morales recalls. “She taught me to use the sewing machine when I was very little. I crocheted a vest for myself when I was five years old.Despite those nights by the sewing machine, becoming an artist was not a childhood dream for Morales. “That would have been thought of as crazy,” she says. Because she had been a top competitive swimmer in high school, she studied physical education at the Universidad de Xalapa, hoping to teach gym. After graduation, she took a job as a swim coach.”.^[3]

Early career

While working as a swimming coach in Mexico, Morales met her husband, Tim, an American citizen, and had a son, Kelly. The new family moved to the United States in 1994.^[4] During her first years living in San Francisco, Morales remembers that she had no job, no friends and she barely spoke a few words in English. She was sad because she missed her native country and her family, Morales expresses that she felt like she did not fit in that country. One day her mother in law took her son Kelly to the most amazing and the most transcendental place for her, a public library in the city of San Francisco, she remembers she was so amazed and inspired by the section of children's books. Morales learned English by reading to her son Kelly who did not know or care if she mispronounced some words, and she could always use the illustrations to show something she did not know. Morales felt so inspired by those vivid colors and illustrations from the books that she had been reading to her son, she wondered if she could make picture books like those.^[5] She was also influenced by Lloyd Alexander, Susan Cooper, Jim Henson, and J.R.R. Tolkien.^[6]

Literary career

Morales bought a set of paints and brushes and enrolled in an extension class at UC Berkeley on writing for children where she met a group of other aspiring authors and illustrators. Morales's first English-language picture book project was Kathleen Krull's text for Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez in 2003. Reviewing Morales's work, School Library Journal contributor Sue Morgan praised her "beautifully rendered earth-tone illustrations," while Traci Todd, writing in Booklist, cited the book's "gorgeous paintings, with their rounded, organic forms and lush, gemstone hues." Morales's first self-illustrated title, Just a Minute, was published in 2003 as well. Morales kept illustrating original works like Niño Wrestles the World and Little Night Nochecita. She has also illustrated books for different authors like Georgia in Hawaii: When Georgia O'Keeffe Painted What She Pleased, Ladder to the Moon, Los Gatos Black en Halloween, My Abuelita, Sand Sister and Floating on Mama's song.^[7] She has influenced Cassandra Clare.

Honors awards

• Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, sponsored by the national Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP).
• Parent's Choice Award Winner.
• Northern California Book Award Nomination, Children's Literature.
• Best of the Best List.
• Chicago Public Library, Best Children's Books of the Year.
• Bank Street College of Education all 2003 for Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book.
• Pura Belpre Illustrator Award.
• California Book Award Silver Medal for Juvenile Fiction.
• Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award.
• Golden Kite Honor Book.
• Picture Book Illustration.
• Latino Book Award.
• Latino Literary Award for Best Children's Book.
• Notable Books for Children,Younger Readers.
• Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices Selection.
• Notable Books for a Global Society, all 2004, for Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book; Americas Award Honorable Mention.
• School Library Journal Best Books.
• San Francisco Chronicle Best of Year.
• Lasting Connections, Best of the Year.
• Book Links Magazine, Best of the Year.
• Child magazine, all 2003, for Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez;
• Christopher Award.
• Jane Addams Book Award.
• Pura Belpre Honor for illustration.
• CCBC Choices Selection.
• Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People.
• The National Council for Social Studies.
• Blue Bonnet Award Nomination, all 2004, for Harvesting Hope.^[8]
• ALA Notable Children's Book Selection 2007 for Little Night

Bibliography

Self-illustrated

• Just a Minute!: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book. Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA) 2003.
• Little Night. Roaring Brook Press (New Milford, CT) 2006.
• Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book. Roaring Brook Press (New York, NY) 2008.
• Niño Wrestles the World, Roaring Brook Press (New York, NY) 2013.
• Viva Frida, Roaring Brook Press (New York, NY) 2014.

Illustrator

• F. Isabel Campoy, Todas las buenas manos, Harcourt (San Diego, CA) 2002.
• Kathleen Krull, Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, Harcourt (San Diego, CA) 2003.
• Amanda White, Sand Sister, Barefoot Books (Cambridge, MA) 2004.
• Marisa Montes, Los Gatos Black on Halloween, Holt (New York, NY) 2006.
• Tony Johnston, My Abuelita, Harcourt (Boston, MA) 2009.
• Laura Lacámara, Floating on Mama's Song/Flotando en la canción de mamá, Katherine Tegen Books (New York, NY) 2010.
• Maya Soetero-Ng, Ladder to the Moon, Candlewick Press (Somerville, MA) 2011.
• Amy Novesky, Georgia in Hawai'i: When Georgia O'keeffe Painted What She Pleased, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Boston, MA) 2012.
• Sherman Alexie, Thunder Boy Jr., Little Brown Books for Young Readers (New York, NY) 2016.

References