Molly Bang facts for kids

Molly Garrett Bang, born on December 29, 1943, is a talented American artist. She is well-known for creating beautiful illustrations in children's books. Her artwork has earned her many awards and honors. She was a runner-up for the important American Caldecott Medal three times. She was also a runner-up for the British Greenaway Medal once. In 2016, her 1996 picture book Goose won the Phoenix Picture Book Award. This award celebrates great children's picture books that were published twenty years earlier but didn't win a major award at the time.

About Molly G. Bang

Her Early Life and Education

Molly Bang was born in Princeton, New Jersey. Her mother, Betsy Bang, was also an illustrator. Her father, Fred Bang, was a medical researcher.

Molly went to Wellesley College. She later earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Arizona in 1969. She also studied at Harvard University in 1970.

Becoming a Children's Book Creator

Molly Bang started writing children's books after working as a reporter. At first, she illustrated old folk tales. Later, she began to write her own stories.

She is very interested in how pictures can show feelings. Her book for adults, Picture This (1991), explains how pictures work. Her wordless picture book, The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher, is famous for how she uses empty space and bright colors against grey.

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

Molly Bang currently lives in California. She used to live in Massachusetts.

Books Molly Bang Wrote and Illustrated

• 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)
• Dawn (1983, reissued 2002)
• The Paper Crane (1985)
• Delphine (1988)
• Picture This: Perception & Composition (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 Molly Bang Illustrated for Others

• 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 many Caldecott Medal and Honor Book artists (1993)
• Little Rat Sets Sail, by Monika Bang-Campbell (2002)
• 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 Special Honors

Molly Bang has received many awards for her wonderful books:

• The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher (1980)
  • This book was a Caldecott Medal Honor Book. It also won the Aesop Award and was an ALA Notable Children's Book.
• Ten, Nine, Eight (1983)
  • This was also a U.S. Caldecott Honor Book. It was a commended runner-up for the U.K. Greenaway Medal.
• The Paper Crane (1987)
  • This book won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for illustration.
• Goose (1996)
  • This book was named a School Library Journal Best Book. It won the Phoenix Picture Book Award in 2016.
• Common Ground: The Water, Earth, and Air We Share (1998)
  • This book received the Giverny Book Award.
• When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry (1999)
  • This was another Caldecott Honor Book. It also won the Jane Addams Children's Book Awards Honor Award and the Charlotte Zolotow Award.
• My Light (2004)
  • This book was an ALA Notable book. It also won the Massachusetts Book Award.
• When Sophie Thinks She Can’t (2018)
  • This book received Mathical Honors in 2021.