Image taken from Fifi Kuo's Facebook page at: facebook.com/FIFIKUOillustration

Taipei, Feb. 15 (CNA) Taiwanese illustrator Fifi Kuo (郭飛飛) has been nominated along with 19 other artists for the 2019 Klaus Flugge Prize, an award presented to the most exciting newcomer in children's picture book illustration.

The shortlist of nominees will be announced on May 15, and the winner will be revealed on Sept. 11 and take home a £5,000 (US$6,409) prize.

The 29-year-old Kuo was nominated for her debut picture book "I Can Fly," which was published in September 2018 and represented an attempt by the illustrator to deliver a meaningful message through her art.

The story follows a little penguin envious of the birds in the sky, hoping it will be able to fly one day, but no matter how hard it tries to get off the ground, it repeatedly lands flat on its stomach.

It was not until the day it fell into the ocean that the penguin realized it belonged underwater.

In an interview with CNA, Kuo portrayed herself as someone who tends to head down blind alleys, and said the book is a self-reminder that most things have two sides and that one's state of mind can change when things are seen from different angles.

Kuo's upcoming work "The Perfect Sofa" will be published this April.

Established in 2016, the Klaus Flugge Prize was founded to honor Klaus Flugge, the founder of Andersen Press and an influential figure who launched the careers of some highly-praised picture book illustrators.

Commenting on the nominees, Chair of the judges, Julia Eccleshare, said the nominees represent a wide variety of styles.

"There are books that explore complex feelings or allow readers to work through their fears; and then there are those that will make them laugh out loud. Once again the list of illustrators is international, proof that illustration is a universal language," she said.

(By Tai Ya-chen and Chung Yu-chen)
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