Ya-Ling Huang studied Fine Art at Taichung University of Education in Taiwan. During her study at university, she found her true calling in storytelling and illustration. She completed her MA in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art in 2016. In the same year, her works were selected for 2016 Bologna Book Fair, highly commended in Macmillan prize and awarded 2nd prize in Poland Katowice "A Well Designed Book". Her illustrations are mostly drawn by hand in watercolour, gouache and colour pencil, along with the application of a little humour in her work. This Is the Way in Dogtown is the first picture book she has both written and illustrated.