Baek Hee-na facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Baek Hee-na
|
|
|---|---|
Baek at her Atelier in 2020
|
|
| Born | 1 December 1971 Seoul, South Korea |
| Occupation | Author, Illustrator and Animator |
| Language | Korean |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Genre | Picture Books |
| Notable awards | Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award |
Baek Hee-na (Hangul: 백희나; RR: Baek Hui-na) is a talented author, illustrator, and animator from South Korea. She was born in Seoul on December 1, 1971. Baek Hee-na is famous for creating picture books with unique characters and wonderful stories.
Her book, Magic Candies, is very popular. It was even chosen for the IBBY Honour List in 2018. This book was also turned into a musical in South Korea. In 2020, Baek Hee-na made history by becoming the first South Korean to win the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA). This is a huge award for children's and young adult literature. Her books have been translated into many languages, like English, German, Chinese, and Japanese.
Contents
About Baek Hee-na
Baek Hee-na grew up in Seoul, South Korea. She studied Education Technology at Ewha Womans University. Later, she learned about character animation at the California Institute of the Arts in the United States. After finishing her studies, she worked as an animator in the U.S.
She then returned to South Korea. In 2004, she published her first picture book, Cloud Bread. Her background in film and animation helped her create amazing picture books. She uses her animation skills to make characters with strong personalities. She also tells charming stories that come alive on the page.
Baek Hee-na creates all her artwork herself. This includes the characters and backgrounds. She often uses special techniques like building sets and filming her own work. This makes her stories feel very real and vivid. Today, she lives in Seoul with her family and her dog.
Her Amazing Career
Baek Hee-na's book Cloud Bread quickly gained attention. In 2005, she was named the Illustrator of the Year for Fiction at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. Cloud Bread has been translated into about 10 languages. It was even made into a children's musical and a TV animation series.
Her book The Bath Fairy also won awards. It received a prize at the 53rd Korea Publishing Culture Awards in 2012. It also won the Changwon Children's Literature Award in 2013.
Magic Candies continued her success. It was added to the IBBY Honour List in 2018. In 2019, it won two awards in Japan: the Picture Book Translation Award and the Reader Award. Then, in 2020, she received the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA).
Baek Hee-na's early success with Cloud Bread helped change things for other authors. Even though her book sold many copies, she did not receive much money from it at first. This was due to old contract rules in Korea. Because of her situation, the Korean government took steps to make sure publishing contracts became fairer for authors.
Her Unique Style
Baek Hee-na loves to try new things in her artwork. She often uses a special 3D illustration technique. She creates her characters using a material called ‘Sculpey’. She makes several versions of her main characters to show different feelings.
She also uses stop-motion animation in her books. This means she takes many photos of small movements to make things look like they are moving. She builds the sets for her stories by hand. She also carefully checks the lighting for her photos. This helps her create her own special world in her books.
The committee for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award praised her work. They said she is an artist who pushes the boundaries of picture books. They noted her bold techniques and how she combines handmade crafts with animation.
Awards and Recognition
Baek Hee-na has won many important awards for her wonderful books:
- 2005 The Illustrator of the Year at the Bologna Children's Book Fair - for Cloud Bread
- 2012 The 53rd Korea Publishing Culture Awards - for The Bath Fairy
- 2013 The 3rd Changwon Children's Literature Award - for The Bath Fairy
- 2019 The Picture Book Translation Award and Reader Award in the 24th Japanese Picture Book Awards - for Magic Candies
- 2020 The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA)
- 2022 The Boston Globe - Picture Book Honor Books Award - for Moon Pop
- 2023 The Winner of the Andersen "Gualtiero Schiaffino" SuperPrize - for Magic Candies
Her Wonderful Books
Baek Hee-na once said that picture books should give readers comfort and courage. This idea is clear in all her works. Here are some of her popular books:
- 2004 Cloud Bread (Hansol Soobook)
- 2007 The Boy Who Looked for the North Wind (Sigong Junior)
- 2007 The Pink Rope (Sigong Junior)
- 2010 Moon Sherbet (Bear Books)
- 2011 Last Evening (Bear Books)
- 2011 Peep's Mother (Bear Books)
- 2012 The Bath Fairy (Bear Books)
- 2014 The Poop Fly I Tasted in my Dream (Bear Books)
- 2016 Strange Mother (Bear Books)
- 2017 Magic Candies (Bear Books)
- 2018 The Strange Visitor (Bear Books)
- 2019 I am a Dog (Bear Books)
- 2022 Yeoni and Mr.Willow (Bear Books)
- 2024 The Recipe of Magic Candies (Story Bowl)
- 2024 Happy Birthday (Story Bowl)
Books She Illustrated for Others
Baek Hee-na has also illustrated books written by other authors:
- 2006 I Really like Rainy Days, written by Eun-gyu Choi (Upright Tree)
- 2006 Let's Play with the Moon, written by Myo-gwang Park (Upright Tree)
- 2006 Our Play and Our Culture in All Seasons, written by Sun-young Lee (Hansol Soobook)
- 2006 Red Bean Porridge Granny and the Tiger, written by Yun-gyu Park (Sigong Junior)
