Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist

Winner of the American Library Association’s 2021 Asian/Pacific American Award for Best Picture Book!

An inspiring picture-book biography of Chinese American immigrant and groundbreaking artist Tyrus Wong, whose journey from newcomer to Disney animator helped shape the look of Bambi and changed animation forever.

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.