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The story of “Buying a Newspaper” initially originated from a series of five illustrations I created. These five images tell the tale of a person with hair like clouds. Because he was born different, he had no friends and felt lonely. One day, when he went to buy a newspaper, he encountered a bird who was also lonely. In the end, they healed each other and became friends. One day, I dreamt of a complete picture book story based on these five images in my sleep, so I decided to draw them out.
This story tells of a person born with exceptionally thick hair who had no friends because he was different. One day, he went out to buy a newspaper. On the way, it suddenly started raining, and people were rushing to find shelter. However, because his hair resembled an umbrella, he didn’t need to hold one at all! At that moment, he saw a little girl sheltering from the rain on the side of the street and invited her to walk with him. The girl walked under his hair and remained completely dry. As they walked, the sky cleared, and the girl and he bid each other farewell. He arrived at the newspaper stand, where a bird had been following him, perhaps attracted by his bird’s nest-like hair? So, on his way home, he decided to stop by a barber shop on the spur of the moment, cut his hair, and used the hair and newspaper to make a bird’s nest for the bird. At this time, the sky suddenly started raining again. Without his hair, he would get wet this time, but instead of seeking shelter, he happily strolled in the rain! Guess who he met again in the end?
Because this story came to me in my sleep, where there were only images, no sound, and no words, I decided to recreate it in the form of a silent book. My friends and I love this story very much. They encouraged me to enter the silent book competition, so here I am!
Yang Nianzhi is an award-winning freelance illustrator with a distinguished track record in international competitions. Most notably, they were a Winner of the 58th Bologna Illustrators Exhibition and returned as a finalist for the 60th edition. Their work has been consistently recognized globally, earning the Best Work Award at the 10th Hiii Illustration International Competition and appearing on prestigious shortlists such as the 2025 Chen Bochui New Children’s Literature and the 2025 BIBF unpublished works category. With additional honors from the CA Illustration Competition and the Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition, Yang has established themselves as a significant rising voice in contemporary illustration.