James Yang

James Yang was born in Oklahoma and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Communication Arts and Design. Within a few years of entering illustration, his work appeared in prestigious trade publications such as Communication Arts, 3×3 Magazine, Graphis, Print, and The Art Directors Club of New York. James has won over 250 awards for design and illustration including best of show from 3×3 Magazine. He has taught and lectured at a variety of institutions including SVA, Parsons, FIT, SCAD and was an executive board member for ICON, a biennial illustration conference. His book, Bus! Stop! was selected as an outstanding picture book by The New York Times and the follow up Stop! Bot! is the 2020 Geisel award winner for the most distinguished American book for beginning readers. His newest book, A Boy Named Isamu is the American Asian Library Association's 2022 Honor Title for Picture Books and has been called by Kirkus review “A marvel of prose, illustration and design”. His subway wallpaper can be seen on trains in the Metropolitan Transit system. James currently lives in Brooklyn where he happily works for a variety of clients and books.