Illustrator Ping Zhu on Animals of the Chinese Zodiac

It’s really one of those projects where I was  pleasantly surprised at how beautifully it looks altogether,” Ping Zhu, the celebrated artist and illustrator of Animals of the Chinese Zodiac tells Phaidon.com.
 
“It really feels like a collaborative project. I'm really proud of the writing that Teresa, the author, did. It's so fun and joyful. It's so inclusive of all different types of people. I think this is really a celebration of many different ideas coming together and I'm really happy to have been a part of it."

Animals of the Chinese Zodiac is a lively, interactive guide to the Chinese Zodiac for readers aged 6–9,  illustrated by Zhu and written by award-winning author Teresa Robeson.

This beautifully designed book introduces kids to the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac, from the powerful Dragon, featured on the cover, to the patient Ox, the bold Tiger and energetic Horse, each connected to their own personality traits and traditions. 

 
“The Chinese Zodiac was really prominent in my own childhood," Ping tells Phaidon.com. “Whenever my parents would travel to China, if I hadn't gone with them, they would come back with a little dragon for me because I was a dragon. It was a way for them to really identify with our family and who we are collectively.”

“I'm proud of the fact that I grew up with this, and that I can now share this part of my culture with other people,  and actually also learn a little more about it myself."

Animals of the Chinese Zodiac is packed with fascinating facts, vibrant storytelling, and plenty of humor. A fold-out retelling of The Great Race legend reveals how the twelve animals earned their place in the Zodiac, while lively profiles introduce each animal’s strengths, lucky numbers, best friendships, possible future careers, and more.

“I imagined the orientation of the race and the animals starting from left and running towards the right as you're flipping through the book," Ping tells Phaidon.com. "So it made sense to me that the animals in the book, when you reach these spreads, were almost up close versions, running through the race. I had all the animals running in the same direction, and then as you move through the book, you learn about each of them as you go along.”

“And then there is an extra portion in the back which features other animals that are not explicitly in the Chinese Zodiac but are in the Vietnamese Zodiac or the Japanese Zodiac. There are these small cultural differences highlighted and celebrated among Asian countries that use the lunar calendar.”

Readers young and young at heart will delight in learning about this celebrated ancient tradition, and how it connects them to the world. Get a copy of Animals of the Chinese Zodiac, here and look out in the coming weeks for our full interview with illustrator, Ping Zhu.