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Molly G. Bang
Born (1943-12-29) December 29, 1943 (age 81)
Princeton, New Jersey
Nationality American
Education University of Arizona
Alma mater Wellesley College, University of Arizona, Harvard University
Known for Children's Book Illustrations
Notable work
 When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry...

Molly Garrett Bang (born December 29, 1943) is an American illustrator and author. She is famous for creating and illustrating children's books. Her work has been recognized with many awards. She was a runner-up for the American Caldecott Medal three times and for the British Greenaway Medal once. In 2015, her 1996 picture book Goose won the 2016 Phoenix Picture Book Award. This award celebrates excellent English-language children's picture books that did not win a major award when they were first published twenty years earlier.

About Molly G. Bang

Molly Bang was born in Princeton, New Jersey. Her mother, Betsy Bang, was also an illustrator, and her father, Fred Bang, was a medical researcher. Molly went to Wellesley College and earned master's degrees from the University of Arizona (1969) and Harvard University (1970).

Molly first tried working as a reporter for The Baltimore Sun. However, she soon discovered her true passion was writing and illustrating children's books. She started by illustrating old folk tales. Later, she began to create her own original stories.

Molly is very interested in how pictures can show feelings and emotions. She even wrote a book for adults called Picture This (1991). This book explains how pictures work to tell a story or show feelings. Her wordless picture book, The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher, is well-known for how she uses empty spaces and bright colors against grey.

In the 2000s, Molly worked with her daughter, Monika Bang-Campbell. Monika wrote three picture books about a character named Little Rat. Molly drew the pictures for these books. Little Rat is a girl rat who learns to sail, ride a horse, and play the violin through courage and practice.

Molly Bang currently lives in California. Before that, she lived in Massachusetts.

Molly Bang's Books

Molly Bang has written and illustrated many popular books for children. She has also illustrated books written by other authors.

Books Written and Illustrated by Molly Bang

  • The Goblins Giggle, And Other Stories (1973)
  • Men From The Village Deep In The Mountains and Other Japanese Folk Tales (1973)
  • Wiley And The Hairy Man: Adapted From An American Folktale (1976)
  • The Buried Moon And Other Stories (1977)
  • The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher (1980)
  • Tye May And The Magic Brush (1981)
  • Yellow Ball (1991)
  • Ten, Nine, Eight (1983), a counting book
  • Dawn (1983, reissued 2002)
  • The Paper Crane (1985)
  • Delphine (1988)
  • Picture This: Perception & Composition, foreword By Rudolf Arnheim (1991); revised as Picture This: How Pictures Work (2000)
  • One Fall Day (1994)
  • Chattanooga Sludge (1996)
  • Goose (1996)
  • Common Ground: The Water, Earth, And Air We Share (1997)
  • When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry ... (1999)
  • Nobody Particular: One Woman's Fight To Save The Bays (2000)
  • Tiger's Fall (2001)
  • My Light (2004)
  • In My Heart (2005)
  • Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring The Earth To Life (2009), by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm
  • All of Me! A Book of Thanks (2009)
  • When Sophie’s Feelings Are Really Really Hurt (2015)
  • When Sophie Thinks She Can’t (2018)

Books Illustrated by Molly Bang

  • The Old Woman And The Red Pumpkin; a Bengali Folk Tale, translated and adapted by Betsy Bang (1975)
  • The Old Woman And The Rice Thief, adapted from a Bengali folktale by Betsy Bang (1978)
  • Tuntuni, The Tailor Bird, adapted from a Bengali Folktale by Betsy Bang (1978)
  • The Demons Of Rajpur: Five Tales From Bengal, translated and adapted by Betsy Bang (1980)
  • David's Landing, by Judith Benét Richardson (1984)
  • Red Dragonfly On My Shoulder: Haiku, translated by Sylvia Cassedy and Kunihiro Suetake (1992)
  • From Sea To Shining Sea: A Treasury Of American Folklore and Folk Songs, compiled by Amy L. Cohn; illustrated by eleven Caldecott Medal and four Caldecott Honor Book artists (1993)
  • Little Rat Sets Sail, by Monika Bang-Campbell (Harcourt, 2002) – the first of three "easy-reader" books by mother and daughter
  • Little Rat Rides, by Monika Bang-Campbell (2004)
  • Little Rat Makes Music, by Monika Bang-Campbell (2004)
  • Old Mother Bear, by Victoria Miles (2007)
  • Harley, by Star Livingstone

Awards and Honors

Molly Bang's books have received many awards and honors for their wonderful illustrations and stories.

  • The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher (1980)
  • Ten, Nine, Eight (1983)
  • The Paper Crane (1987)
  • Goose (1996)
  • Common Ground: The Water, Earth, and Air We Share (1998)
    • Giverny Book Award
  • When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry (1999)
  • My Light (2004)
    • ALA Notable Book
    • Massachusetts Book Award
  • When Sophie Thinks She Can’t (2018)
    • 2021 Mathical Honors
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