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Paper Son
The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist
1 of 2 copies available
An inspiring picture-book biography of animator Tyrus Wong, the Chinese American immigrant responsible for bringing Disney's Bambi to life.
Before he became an artist named Tyrus Wong, he was a boy named Wong Geng Yeo. He traveled across a vast ocean from China to America with only a suitcase and a few papers. Not papers for drawing—which he loved to do—but immigration papers to start a new life. Once in America, Tyrus seized every opportunity to make art, eventually enrolling at an art institute in Los Angeles. Working as a janitor at night, his mop twirled like a paintbrush in his hands. Eventually, he was given the opportunity of a lifetime—and using sparse brushstrokes and soft watercolors, Tyrus created the iconic backgrounds of Bambi.
Julie Leung and Chris Sasaki perfectly capture the beautiful life and work of a painter who came to this country with dreams and talent—and who changed the world of animation forever.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
June 8, 2021 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593461013
- File size: 6386 KB
- Duration: 00:13:18
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Asian instrumental music and narrator Feodor Chin's pronunciation of Cantonese words and names give an authentic flair to this biography of Chinese immigrant artist Tyrus Wong. With a calm tone and even pacing, Chin delivers the story of the 9-year-old boy, Wong Geng Yeo, who came to America in 1921 under the false name Look Tai Yow. At school in California, his two names were combined and Americanized to Tyrus Wong. Facing discrimination and economic hardship, he grew up to be an influential though little-known artist at Disney Studios. He is most well known for creating the iconic backgrounds for the movie BAMBI. Julie Leung reads her own author's note explaining the term "paper son" and the importance of spotlighting the unrecognized contributions of Chinese immigrants. S.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine -
July 8, 2019
In 1919, a boy and his father emigrate from China to the United States. There, the child is separated from his parent and “taken to a wooden house filled with strangers... Days turned to weeks. This new land was not what he had expected.” After he struggles to clear immigration with an assumed identity, the boy, eventually known as Tyrus Wong, makes his way as an artist, working his way through art school as a janitor before landing a job at Walt Disney Studios. His lush illustrations, influenced by the evocative spareness of Chinese art and calligraphy, became the signature look of Bambi, though Wong is credited “only as a background artist” for his contributions to the film. Sasaki’s appealing illustrations, which blend midcentury stylization with classical Chinese art, complement Leung’s sensitive and skillful telling of Wong’s chillingly timely story. An endnote offers additional details about Wong’s life and career. Ages 4–8.
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