Yellow Singing Sail: A Memoir of an Only Child in China

For fans of New Kid and Stealing Home, an unforgettable portrait of childhood during the one-child era in China.

In her early years, Yinfan lives in the small Chinese county of Xintian, surrounded by family members. But when they move for her father’s new job to the city of Guangzhou, her life changes dramatically. Not only does Yinfan need to adjust to a new dialect, but she also has to comply with many new rules at home and in school, and deal with her loneliness. Yinfan yearns to make a good friend, and she does her best to try and fit in. That is, until a girl in her class helps her realize she likes herself just the way she is.

This graphic memoir from author and illustrator Yinfan Huang offers a heartwarming look at a girl’s struggle to forge her own identity in her quest for friendship. Full of fascinating details about life as a child and adolescent in 1990s China, it offers a timely message about how the challenges of growing up are universal.

Born and raised in China, Yinfan Huang is a New York-based author and illustrator who creates joyful, whimsical work for children’s books, magazines, brands and institutions worldwide. Some of her clients include the New Yorker, Flow magazine, Warby Parker and 3M Post-it Notes. Her love for children’s books started at the age of seven when she created her first picture book dummy, about a lazy kitty who tries to grow fish from a tree. She came to the United States in 2011 by herself to pursue her passion for illustration and earn a quality education in her chosen field. After three memorable years in Minnesota, she moved to New York City to become a professional illustrator, where she is inspired deeply by the city and its people. She has since published several children’s books and illustrated for children’s and adult magazines in China, North America, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Her cartoons and comics have been published in the New Yorker in print and online since 2020. She has won prestigious awards from American Illustration, the Society of Illustrators and the World Illustration Awards. Yinfan lives in NYC with her two cats and two chinchillas.