Flying High

An inspiring picture book beautifully illustrated by Yu Rong, shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration 2023.

Have you ever felt small and low? Can Wawa the bird find a way to help her friend see that being different can be a strength, giving a child the courage to fly a kite at the town’s festival? Join the pair on an extraordinary and inspiring journey through the wonders of the world, helping to grow understanding and confidence.

Cao Wenxuan grew up in rural China and is now a professor of Chinese literature and children’s literature. He is the author of several celebrated books for young readers. His fluid, poetic prose depicts honest, sometimes raw, and often melancholy moments of life.<br /><br />He has also received significant recognition for his academic research and teaching in the field of children’s literature, and he was the first Chinese author to win the Hans Christian Andersen Author Award.

Yu Rong is a Chinese illustrator of children's picture books, especially known for her use of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papercutting">papercutting</a> artwork.

Born in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China">China</a>, she first trained as a primary school teacher, then studied for a BA in Chinese Painting and Contemporary Art Design (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing_Normal_University">Nanjing Normal University</a>'s Art College) and an MA in Communication and Design (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_College_of_Art">Royal College of Art</a>, London). She now lives near Cambridge, UK.

The Visible Sounds was shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration in 2023.