Welcome to my author page!

I feel grateful and lucky that my job is making art !

I have illustrated 45 books in the last 26 years, some of which I have also written.

My first children's book, Something to Crow About, hit bookstore shelves in 1990.

My children's book art has received numerous honors you can find below. My favorite praise for my children's book work was from The New Yorker magazine. It called my dimensional work "tromp l'oile marvels"!

In addition to children's books, I illustrate articles for magazines and newspapers like Family Circle and The Boston Globe. My art and designs have been used for logos, packaging, wine labels, giftware, textiles, wall art and greeting cards.

I was meant to be an artist. While taking piano lessons as a child, rather than practice, I colored my sheet music. I still love to color and can't play the piano! I grew up looking at beautiful things. My father took me to art museums on my birthday. I look back now and see how everyone around me was making things: my father built furniture, carved wood and painted, my mother sewed and wrote, my brother made homemade movies with his action figures, and my sister painted. My grandparents were creative also making things, sewing and quilting.

I'm a former Pratt Institute and Moore College of Art & Design professor. I am currently on the faculty of Marywood University's undergrad and MFA Program, Get Your Masters with the Masters. I earned my Masters Degree, in illustration, from this wonderful MFA program.

I also consult one-on-one for projects of all kinds and run children's book workshops with my friend and colleague, Melanie Hall.

A former New Yorker, I now live in the cute, small, town of Lansdowne, PA, where I'm president of the borough's Arts Board. I am also past co-chair of Lansdowne's annual three-day celebration of music and art - The Lansdowne Arts & Music Festival.

I'm grateful for my wonderful, creative life everyday! I'm currently working on a picture book about my adopted shelter dog, Ruby. I looked for my perfect dog on adoption websites for many months. When I saw her furry little face I knew I had found my dog. I filled out all her adoption papers without even meeting her. Luckily, we are a good match. The story is about our experience of finding each other. rubyrescued.com is coming soon!

You can visit me, shop for out of print books and download free coloring pages and puzzles at my website- www.meganhalsey.com

You can also follow me on FaceBook and Instagram.

My clients include:

Simon & Schuster

Harper Collins

The Boston Globe

Family Circle

Denver University Law School

Harvard Magazine

Scholastic

Charlesbridge Publishing

Dial Books For Young Readers

Marshall Cavendish

Bradbury Press

Walker & Company

St. Martin's Press

New Jersey Life

Yankee Magazine

Some Awards & Recognition:

Best 100 Books for Reading and Sharing, The New York Public Library

Book of the Year, Bank Street College

Gold Award (2 time winner), Oppenheim Toy Newsletter

Gold Award, National Parents Publishing Association (NAPPA)

Children's Choice Award

Outstanding Science Trade Book, National Science Teachers Assoc.

International Book Award Honor, Society Of School Librarians

"Pick of the List", American Booksellers Association

Recommended Reading List, Reading Rainbow

Recommended Reading List, The New Yorker

Pa. Young Reader's Choice Award

New England Book Show Book Award

Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People

Textbook Adoption Book, Georgia State Department of Education

Cynthia Chin-Lee was born and raised in Washington, D.C. by a medical doctor father and a homemaker/artist mother. Cynthia began writing for fun when she was in the sixth grade. "I liked writing poetry and scribbling in my journal because I found it comforting and therapeutic. I still write for that reason and because I like playing with words."

Passionate about diversity and inclusion, gender equity, and LGBTQ+ rights, she frequently writes on topics in those areas. She graduated from Harvard University and has studied and worked at the East-West Center (Honolulu) and in Taiwan and China. Her award-winning books include "Operation Marriage" made into a short film at http://tinyurl.com/ngdxnq4, "Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World," "Akira to Zoltan: Twenty-Six Men Who Changed the World," "A is for the Americas" (with Terri de la Pena), "A is for Asia," "It's Who You Know," "Almond Cookies and Dragon Well Tea."

Cynthia enjoys speaking at schools, universities, professional associations and companies. She lives in Half Moon Bay, CA with her family.