Original Title
不能没有
Text & illustrations by
Cai Gao
Language
Simplified Chinese
Pages
44
Size
25.5 × 25.5 cm
Age
4+
Published
Daylight Publishing
December 2024
The world cannot be without the sun — without it, darkness would envelop everything. It cannot be without clouds — for where would the stars tuck their little quilts, or the moon rest her head? It cannot be without wind — how else would the baby flowers go out to play?…And the world cannot be without me, without you, or without him.
This is the newest picture book by national treasure artist Cai Gao. Blending childlike wonder, poetic beauty, and philosophical insight, it reads like a pure yet powerful visual poem.
An integration of nature, art and life education.
A pursuit of poetry and philosophy in everyday life.
🥇The White Ravens 2025
Humans cannot do without the sun, the clouds, the wind, the rain. Nor without a book, a smile, a dream, a hug, a mirror. This picture book is about everything humans need and should treasure. Its prose unfolds like an exquisite poem, revealing a world both simple and multi-layered. The text, rich in realistic and metaphorical implications, harmonizes perfectly with the illustrations’ modern creative interpretation of traditional Chinese paintings. Readers can also use the blank space at the end to draw what they consider indispensable in their own lives. Cai Gao is best known for her creative adaptations of Chinese folklore in her picture books, including »Bao er«, »Tao hua yuan de gu shi« (The story of Peach Blossom Spring), and »Bai niao yu yi« (A feather robe from hundreds of birds). She is the first Chinese illustrator to win the BIB Golden Apple and has been shortlisted for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. In 2022, she won the Special Contribution Prize of the Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award. (Age: 3+) [FW, ZX]
About the author/illustrator
Cai Gao is a celebrated Chinese painter and picture book creator, and a member of the China Artists Association. In the 1970s, she taught at a rural primary school; in the early 1980s, she worked at Hunan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House; and after retiring in 2001, she devoted herself fully to picture book creation. She is the first Chinese winner of the Golden Apple Award at the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB), marking a milestone in the development of Chinese picture books. Her work Bao’er (originally titled The Fox Spirit in the Abandoned Garden) received the 14th BIB Golden Apple Award, while Hua Mulan and Blazing City 1938 were awarded the Annual Picture Book Prize of the Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award. In 2024 and 2026, she was shortlisted for the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, and in 2026 she won the award, becoming the first Chinese illustrator to receive the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration.
蔡皋是中国著名画家、绘本艺术家，中国美术家协会会员。20世纪70年代曾执教于乡村小学，80年代初任职于湖南少年儿童出版社，2001年退休后全心投入绘本创作。她是首位获得布拉迪斯拉发国际插画双年展（BIB）金苹果奖的中国画家，为中国绘本发展树立了重要里程碑。其作品《宝儿》（原名《荒园狐精》）获第14届BIB金苹果奖；《花木兰》《火城一九三八》分获陈伯吹国际儿童文学奖年度绘本奖。2024年与2026年，她两度入围国际安徒生奖插画家奖短名单，并于2026年荣获该奖项，成为中国首位国际安徒生奖插画家奖得主。
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