Cátia Chien
“As an artist, I’ve learned over time to trust curiosity over perfection. When I speak to students, I remind them that what connects us is not mastery, but our shared vulnerability and wonder. Art is simply the courage to show up as yourself and explore what it means to be human—not perfect, but perfectly enough.”
Biography
Cátia Chien is the 2026 Randolph Caldecott Medal winner for Fireworks. She is an award-winning visual storyteller whose work spans picture books, comics, and international exhibitions.
Cátia has illustrated several critically acclaimed picture books, including All the Beating Hearts, The Bear and the Moon, and The Longest Letsgoboy. Her work has been recognized as a New York Times / New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book and honored with two Gold Medals from the Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibition, three Golden Kite Awards, an ALA Notable Book designation, and the Schneider Family Book Award. Her artwork has been exhibited internationally, including at the Beijing National Gallery and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
Cátia discovered she wanted to be an artist while taking an entomology class in college. One assignment asked students to paint an insect of their choice. She stayed up all night painting a yellow jacket wasp on a 6′ x 6′ canvas, completely absorbed in observing its form, color, and structure. By morning, she realized she didn’t want to stop painting. Soon after, she left her cultural anthropology program to attend Art Center College of Design, where she studied illustration.
She later became a co-founder, co-editor and contributor to the Flight comics anthology series, a landmark project for comic anthologies in the US.
At the center of Cátia’s work is a commitment to asking more questions than offering answers. Through sustained attention to observation, emotion, and visual storytelling, her illustrations are shaped by curiosity and a belief in making as a way of understanding the world.
She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and son. When she is not making art you might find her roller skating (with A LOT of protective gear), singing karaoke, or cooking large pots of soup for the people she loves.
Gallery
Book Cátia
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