# Is "Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China" by Ed Young a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young (Philomel Books, 1989) is identified by: First printing carries a number line including 1 and states first impression on the copyright page; Philomel imprint; panel-format pastel and watercolor art; laminated boards with blue endpapers. The US Philomel 1989 edition is the true first; it won the 1990 Caldecott Medal, so the first-printing jacket predates the medal.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries a number line including 1 and states first impression on the copyright page
- Philomel imprint; panel-format pastel and watercolor art; laminated boards with blue endpapers
- True first jacket has no Caldecott seal
- Publisher imprint reads Philomel Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ed Young |
| Publisher | Philomel Books |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing carries a number line including 1 and states first impression on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing carries a number line including 1 and states first impression on the copyright page; Philomel imprint; panel-format pastel and watercolor art; laminated boards with blue endpapers. True first jacket has no Caldecott seal.

## Is this the true first?
The US Philomel 1989 edition is the true first; it won the 1990 Caldecott Medal, so the first-printing jacket predates the medal.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add the Caldecott seal to the jacket; book-club and reprint editions differ.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China* by Ed Young a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lon-po-po-a-red-riding-hood-story-from-china
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.