Joanna Ho

Joanna Ho
Born
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania
University of California, Berkeley
OccupationAuthor
Notable workEyes That Kiss in the Corners
Websitejoannahowrites.com

Joanna Ho (Chinese: 何曉光 Hé Xiǎo-Guāng)[1][2] is a Chinese-American author. She is best known for writing the 2021 picture book Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, a New York Times best seller.[3] Her writing features themes of anti-racism and self-acceptance.[4][5]

Early life and education

Ho was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota to immigrants from Taiwan and China.[3][6][5] She grew up in St. Paul, Baltimore, and the San Francisco Bay Area.[3][5][7]

Ho earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master's from the Principal Leadership Institute at the UC Berkeley School of Education.[8] During her time in college, she lived in Ghana for a year, where she studied traditional dance.[1]

Career

Ho worked as an English teacher, later becoming vice principal of a San Francisco Bay Area high school.[3][7] As a teacher, she sought to create a more equitable and inclusive educational experience for her students.[7] After giving birth to her first child, she had difficulty finding picture books for him with diverse racial representation. This difficulty motivated Ho to begin writing picture books herself.[7][9]

In 2021, HarperCollins published Ho's first book, Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, illustrated by Dong Ho (no relation to Joanna). The picture book, featuring a Taiwanese American girl who says her eyes "kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea", became a New York Times best seller and won a Golden Kite Award.[3][4][10] In 2022, she published a companion book featuring a young Asian boy, Eyes that Speak to the Stars.[7] Another companion book published in 2024, Eyes That Weave the World's Wonders, was co-authored by Liz SoHyeon Kleinrock, and addressed interracial adoption from the perspective of a girl from South Korea adopted by white Americans.[11]

Ho continued exploring cultural identity in her 2023 picture book, Say My Name, where she gave her full Chinese name, 何曉光 Hé Xiǎo-Guāng, to one of the characters;[1][2] and a 2024 book about Asian American history, We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America, with art by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya.[5] In 2022, Ho published her first young adult novel, The Silence That Binds Us, which was honored in the Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature.[12][13]

Ho co-hosts a podcast, Kidlit Happy Hour, with fellow author Caroline Kusin Pritchard.[2][14] Ho and Kusin Pritchard co-authored the 2025 picture book The Day the Books Disappeared, which addresses book banning. While on tour to promote the book in October 2025, the authors were barred from a planned appearance at an elementary school when they refused a request from the San Ramon Valley Unified School District to omit mentions of book banning from their presentation.[15][16]

Personal life

Ho lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has three children.[6]

Selected bibliography

  • Ho, Joanna (January 5, 2021). Eyes That Kiss in the Corners. Illustrated by Dung Ho. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780063082175.
  • — (September 28, 2021). Playing at the Border: A Story of Yo-Yo Ma. Illustrated by Teresa Martinez. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780062994547.
  • — (February 15, 2022). Eyes that Speak to the Stars. Illustrated by Dung Ho. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780063057753.
  • — (June 14, 2022). The Silence that Binds Us. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780063059368.
  • — (September 26, 2023). Say My Name. Illustrated by Khoa Le. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780063334359.
  • — (October 31, 2023). On the Tip of a Wave: How Ai Weiwei's Art Is Changing the Tide. Illustrated by Catia Chien. Scholastic Incorporated. ISBN 9781338891225.
  • Ho, Joanna; Kleinrock, Liz (January 23, 2024). Eyes That Weave the World's Wonders. Illustrated by Dung Ho. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780063384781.
  • Ho, Joanna (April 16, 2024). We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America. Illustrated by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya. Scholastic Incorporated. ISBN 9781338864618.
  • Ho, Joanna; Pritchard, Caroline Kusin (July 15, 2025). The Day the Books Disappeared. Illustrated by Dan Santat. Disney Publishing Worldwide. ISBN 9781368110655.

References

  1. ^ a b c Gray Jr., Gary; Ho, Joanna (September 19, 2023). "In Conversation: Gary Gray Jr. and Joanna Ho". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Sutton, Roger (September 29, 2023). "Joanna Ho Talks with Roger". The Horn Book Magazine. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Egan, Elisabeth (May 27, 2021). "Joanna Ho Knows the Virtue of Patience. She's a High School Vice Principal". The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Faust, Susan (May 11, 2021). "Children's author Joanna Ho wants a revolution of self-acceptance". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d Matt McLernon, Lianna (May 22, 2024). "5 Questions with Author Joanna Ho". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Ho, Joanna. "Bio". Johanna Ho. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e Ong, Giannina (January 17, 2022). "Being Seen: Joanna Ho's "Eyes" Brings Asian Representation to Picture Books". Mochi Magazine. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  8. ^ Balbastro, Jackie (March 20, 2021). "Interview with Joanna Ho". Pine Reads Review. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  9. ^ Yu, Yi-Jin (May 2, 2023). "Author mom shares why kids need more AANHPI children's books". ABC News. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  10. ^ "SCBWI Announces 2022 Golden Kite Awards". School Library Journal. March 18, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  11. ^ Feddema, Sonya Vanderveen (May 24, 2024). "Eyes That Weave the World's Wonders". The Banner. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  12. ^ Delecki, Kevin (June 10, 2022). "Book review of The Silence That Binds Us". BookPage. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  13. ^ "2022-2023 Awards Winners". Asian Pacific American Librarians Association. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  14. ^ "Kidlit Happy Hour". Kidlit Happy Hour. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  15. ^ Ford, Lindsey (October 29, 2025). "Authors say they were censored on 'book banning' tour at Bay Area school visit". KRON-TV. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  16. ^ Medina, Madilynne (October 31, 2025). "Authors leave Bay Area school after officials censor book ban talk". SFGate. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
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