Stephanie Ellen Sy is a Filipino-Chinese-Canadian writer and interior designer from Toronto. Sy was born in the Philippines and grew up in Hong Kong and also lived in Italy and the United States. She earned a degree in International Relations and Asian Studies from Tufts University. Sy seeks to explore diverse and multiple cultures in her picture books.
Fiction (Juvenile, Picture book)
Jia Has a Dog Problem
Illustrated by Isabela Kung.
New York: Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2026.
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
Jia runs from every dog—big, tiny, spotted, or shaggy. Charlie the French bulldog hides from every kid—behind couches, laundry, even grown-ups’ legs.
When something far scarier forces these two together, they discover a sweet surprise: a friend who understands.
Fiction (Juvenile, Picture book)
The Magnificent Banyan and the Green Tong Lau
Illustrated by Ishita Jain.
New York: Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2026.
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
There once was a bird that dropped a seed into a crack in a green tong lau. Nobody noticed, not even when a spindly root sprouted from the wall and curled past The Grandpa playing mahjong on his balcony, The Aunties belting Chinese opera, The Grandma lighting incense at her altar, The Uncles hanging roast goose in their ground-floor shop window, and children playing about. The banyan tree grew and grew until one day, everyone noticed.
With luminous watercolors by Ishita Jain, this modern fable set in Hong Kong from Stephanie Ellen Sy tells the story of a resilient banyan tree and how one community comes to recognize its many gifts.
Fiction (Juvenile, Picture book)
The Quest for the Longest Noodle.
Illustrated by Cindy Wume.
New York: Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2027.
forthcoming Mar. 2027
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
Fiction (Juvenile, Picture book)
A Roof!
Illustrated by Daniel Tingcungco.
New York: Kokila, 2024.
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
Typhoons are a regular part of Maya’s life in the Philippines, but after this storm, she finds something unusual in her backyard—a roof! There’s an address written on it, and Maya is determined to return it to its family. She’ll need help to make her way through the damage left behind by the typhoon. As she sets out with her tatay, Maya collaborates with a farmer and his carabao, a couple of fishers and their boat, a sapatero, a labandera, a kusinera, and more of her neighbors. Together, they sail around knotted tree roots, hauling, heaving, pushing, and dragging the roof until they find its family—and begin to rebuild their community.
Told by Stephanie Ellen Sy in a cumulative structure that begs to be read aloud, and paired with Daniel Tingcungco’s lush and cinematic illustrations, A Roof! is a story about community care that celebrates the Filipino spirit of bayanihan.
Fiction (Juvenile, Picture book)
You Can’t Tame a Tiger
Illustrated by Julien Chung.
Toronto: Owlkids, 2025.
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
A young boy knows his pet tiger, Imran, is awesome. The only problem is that Imran doesn’t look like a tiger. To show off his cool pet and impress the other kids, the boy tries to “fix” Imran’s appearance by painting him orange and giving him zig-zag stripes. But Imran won’t play along. Instead of accepting the changes, Imran stays true to himself and insists, “You can’t tame a tiger.”
Imran knows he’s a tiger, even if he doesn’t fit the tiger image that his friend has in his mind. Eventually, the boy realizes that his mistake was forcing Imran to be anything other than exactly who he is.
This humorous and profound story combines narrative text, dialogue bubbles, and expressive art to remind readers that you don’t have to change the unique things about yourself to be accepted and remarkable.
Links
Stephanie Ellen Sy personal website
Publisher Kokila an imprint of Penguin Random House
Publisher Owlkids