LeUyen Came Along: The Art of LeUyen Pham

LeUyen Pham (pronounced “Lay-Win Fam”) is the best-selling author of more than 140 books. Over the course of her successful career, she’s illustrated everything from bears and badgers to best friends and families.

Pham is highly skilled at developing characters so that each one is unique and dynamic, with recognizable personalities that readers want to revisit over and over.

Many of her characters are so beloved that they’ve been expanded into series, such as The Princess in Black, Vampirina Ballerina, and Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn.

Born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Pham and her family left in the final days of the Vietnam War and settled in Southern California. She spent two years studying political science at UCLA before the head of the art department guided her toward illustration at ArtCenter College of Design.

After graduation, Pham briefly worked for DreamWorksʼ Feature Animation division as a layout artist before her book career took off. She’s been writing and illustrating children’s books ever since.

Her book Bear Came Along by author Richard T. Morris received a 2020 Caldecott Honor and inspired the name of this exhibition.

Come along with LeUyen, also known as “Win” to her friends, on a journey through the world of her imagination!

This exhibition was organized by the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas.