artist / picture book Illustrator / art educator
about Ammi
Born in 1972, Leong Yoke Mee, popularly known as Ammi, is an art teacher, artist and picture book illustrator. She loves stories and legends and finds inspiration in nature. Ammi’s first picture books were published in 2006 and since then she has published close to 20 picture books. Her picture books have won awards and accolades and her paintings and illustrations have been exhibited nationwide including at the National Visual Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur; the Penang State Art Gallery; the 38th IBBY International Congress at Putrajaya, Balai Seni Maybank; as well as overseas in Singapore, Frankfurt and Slovakia. Ammi was also a recipient of the Krishen Jit Fund (2020) which was created to support experimental creative work. A graduate in Fine Art from Kuala Lumpur College of Art, Ammi’s favourite medium is watercolour. She founded the Ammi Art Studio in 2020 and can be found teaching art to children and adults at Bukit Mertajam, Penang where she resides when not traveling to research for her next picture book. Three of Ammi’s latest picture books were published by Oyez!Books in Sept, 2024 and reveal her love of nature and cultural heritage. In 2023, Ammi received an honourable recognition in the Yusof Gajah Illustration Award and won first prize in the 2024 Yusof Gajah Illustration Award.