Circle Yuen, an Advocate for Own Voices perspectives

Circle Yuen is a Hong Kong-born author and picture book maker based in the UK. She brings an Own Voices perspective to children’s publishing, weaving her personal journey of family restructuring and migration into both words and images. Her stories and illustrations are inseparable, each reinforcing the other to create picture books that are tender, healing, and socially engaged.

Circle recently completed her MA in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art and is the 2024 FAB Prize Art Publishers Prize Winner. Her style is handmade and tender, creating picture books that gently hold children’s emotions.

What would you say is your best piece of work or collaboration to date, and why?

Our Dance is my most important work to date. It combines my personal journey with community collaboration and is designed as both a story and a resource. Working with NACCC has shown me how picture books can bridge gaps between children, families, and professionals. Hearing that frontline workers could imagine giving this book to families at the start of their process made me feel the work had a true purpose.

Where do you like to go to be inspired, or how do you find your inspiration?

I carry my sketchbook everywhere and love drawing in the library and park. My inspiration also comes from deep research and lived experience, shaped by my background in social and community work in Asia and my studies in cultural studies at university. These influences flow into my picture book making across cultures.

Is there anything you'd say you would be a good advocate for? Please elaborate if so.

I advocate for underrepresented voices in children’s publishing, especially East and Southeast Asian creators and children experiencing family separation. Representation of ESEA stories in the UK remains limited, and even fewer are told by Own Voice authors and illustrators (Inclusive Books for Children, Excluded Voices Report 2024). Through my picture books, I hope to contribute to a richer, more inclusive bookshelf where all children can feel recognised and supported.

What would you say sets you apart from other illustrators?

Something you feel is unique to you. What sets me apart is the way I weave words and illustrations together, creating picture books that speak with one voice. I often begin by listening to stories in community work, then shaping them into a visual language that helps children feel recognised. For me, picture books are the art of visual storytelling, opening gentle space for emotions and subjects that are too often left unspoken.

If you have done paid commissions prior to joining the agency, what would you say is something that clients repeatedly come to you for (up to now)?

Clients often come to me for my sensitivity to social issues and my cross-cultural perspective. My years of working in women’s organisations and social work have given me a deep awareness of community needs. Beyond illustration, I also have experience leading projects that connect art with people’s lived realities. This cross-disciplinary background makes me not only a picture book maker, but also a collaborator who enjoys bringing creativity and community together.

How would you describe your style?

Handmade and tender, creating picture books that gently hold children’s emotions.

Please give a scenario of a project that would mean the world to you.

I would love to create an international collection of children’s voices on family and resilience. A book that gathers their stories and drawings into something that celebrates courage and belonging across cultures.

Are you working on any personal projects you can share?

Yes. My second picture book with Graffeg is planned for 2026, and I am also working on Mama’s Wedding, which tells the story of two sisters adjusting to a blended family, set to be published in 2026.

If you were to illustrate a book related to a real-life person, who would that be?

I would choose Babette Cole. Her book Two of Everything gave me and my daughter hope during a difficult time. Illustrating her story would be a way of honouring the comfort she gave us.

If you’d like more info, please contact [email protected]

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