Handsome Monkey King (Illustrated by Ed Young)
A 2001 Caldecott Honor book by Ed Young that uses collage art to depict the early adventures of the Handsome Monkey King.
Monkey King is a picture book published by HarperCollins in February 2001 by the Chinese-American master of children's illustration, Ed Young. Aimed at young American readers, it condenses the story of Sun Wukong from the opening of Journey to the West into a vividly colored volume. Born in Tianjin, Ed Young grew up listening to the legends of the Handsome Monkey King; he previously won the Caldecott Gold and Silver Medals for Wolf Grandmother and A Little Mouse and His Seven Nuts. This book continues his signature collage art: layering torn paper, fabric, ink, and watercolors, complemented by two specially designed fold-out spreads, to seamlessly bring to life climactic scenes such as the Stone Monkey's birth, his studies at Square-Inch Mountain, obtaining the staff from the Dragon Palace, and the Havoc in Heaven. The prose is simple and vivid, reading like an oral legend told to children by a fireside, allowing young readers in the English-speaking world to first encounter "the most popular troublemaker in Heaven" through a powerful visual experience, serving as an introduction to the epic saga of the quest for the scriptures.