Cátia Chien is the 2026 Randolph Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator of Fireworks, written by Matthew Burgess. She is the first AAPI woman to receive the Caldecott Medal, the highest honor in American picture-book art.

Her work has also received two Society of Illustrators Original Art Gold Medals, three Golden Kite Awards for picture book illustration, a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book honor, a Schneider Family Book Award, and an ALA Notable designation. Her books have been published in more than fifteen languages, and her artwork has been exhibited internationally, including at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and the Beijing National Gallery.

Born and raised in Brazil to Taiwanese parents, Cátia brings a layered cultural perspective to her storytelling. Before focusing on picture books, she worked as a visual-development artist on animated films including The Little Prince and Wish Dragon. She was also a co-editor and contributor to the influential Flight comics anthology.

In 2020, Cátia founded A Thousand Worlds, an ongoing intersectional BIPOC creator’s bookshelf curated by BIPOC leaders in children’s publishing. Through her books, school programs, workshops, and keynote presentations, she invites audiences to trust curiosity over perfection and to see art as a language for experiences that children often feel before they can name.

Cátia 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), dancing, or cooking large pots of soup for the people she loves.

School/Library Visit Presentations (PK-K 30min, 45min Grades 1st-8th)

The Big Kaboom: Creating Fireworks

A highly visual school presentation about the making of the Caldecott Medal–winning Fireworks. She shares childhood inspiration, early character studies, artistic experiments, and the process of creating the book’s large gatefold “kaboom.” The program includes a live drawing demonstration, and time for questions.

Creative Courage Workshop (45-60min Audiences: Children/Adults)

An interactive drawing and creative-process workshop designed to loosen perfectionism and encourage intuitive exploration. Participants work through visual prompts and approachable exercises centered on curiosity, emotional observation, and experimentation.

The workshop can be adapted for children, families, educators, or adult creative audiences. Materials and final capacity would be determined with the host.

Adult Presentations 

Trust Curiosity Over Perfection – (60min in length)

A keynote for artists, writers, educators, librarians, and creative communities about developing the courage to experiment. Drawing from Cátia’s path through animation, comics, picture books, and the creation of Fireworks, She explores how meaningful work emerges when we follow questions rather than trying to master everything in advance.

The central invitation is to trust curiosity over perfection, experimentation over mastery, and the creative process over a predetermined result.

Art as Emotional Language – (60min in length)

A presentation or workshop exploring how color, light, texture, movement, and atmosphere communicate emotion before words do. Using examples from Fireworks and other picture books, Cátia discusses how images can recognize and illuminate a child’s already-present inner world.

This program can be adapted for illustrators, writers, educators, librarians, college students, and professional conferences.

Website

Availability and Honorariums