Virtual Visits with LeUyen Pham, June 13

Saturday, June 13, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Hosted by the Davenport Public Library

An award-winning, bestselling author will take part in three special June 13 presentations hosted by the Davenport Public Library, with noted illustrator and picture-book creator LeUyen Pham appearing via Zoom to share her experiences and offer insights on her contributions to works ranging from the graphic-novel memoir Real Friends to Oscar winner Julianne Moore's children's-book sensation Freckleface Strawberry.

Born in Vietnam, LeUyen (pronounced Lay-Win) and her family fled Vietnam in the final days of the Vietnam War. Growing up in Southern California, LeUyen always enjoyed doodling and drawing, but her mother insisted she instead become a lawyer. For two years, LeUyen attended UCLA, where she majored in political science. After the head of the university's art department spotted her talent, however, LeUyen got an interview at the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, received a scholarship, and spent the next three years in an accelerated program that earned her a degree in illustration.

Following graduation, LeUyen worked as a layout artist for DreamWorks Animation and illustrated books on the side, with her first picture book author Eve Bunting's Can You Do This, Old Badger? LeUyen went on to write and illustrate books including Big Sister Little Sister, There's No Such Thing as Little, A Piece of Cake, All the Things I Love About You, and The Bear Who Wasn't There, and also contributed to the Piggy & Elephant Like Reading! book series with her work The Itchy Book. She is also the co-creator, along with Shannon Hale, of the bestselling graphic memoirs Real Friends and Best Friends.

To date, LeUyen has illustrated more than 100 children's books, among them Julianne Moore's Freckleface Strawberry series, Kelly DiPucchio's Grace for President, and Shannon and Dean Hale's Princess in Black series. LeUyen is also the illustrator of God's Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Alvin Ho series by Lenore Look, the Vampire Ballerina series by Anne Marie Pace, and The Boy Who Loved Math by Deborah Heiligman. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons, and LeUyen says that if she had her way, she would “spend all her time making Star Wars-themed birthday cakes.”

LeUyen will participate in three specifically themed Zoom presentations on June 13. At 10 a.m., LeUyen will converse with educators and caregivers about the importance of picture books and how to use her works in a classroom. In her second presentation at 1 p.m., she will speak with tweens and teens about how she illustrates graphic novels and picture books, and in particular how she created artwork for one of her graphic-novel memoirs. And in her final presentation of the day at 3 p.m., LeUyen will share her talent and love for picture books with readers of all ages.

The June 13 LeUyen Pham presentations are free, although registration is required for each session at https://bit.ly/leuyen-event, and more information is available by calling (563)326-7832 or visiting DavenportLibrary.com.

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