Some pages of the Little Mu Ke series by Xiong Liang, who is a fan of classical Chinese works, and gets inspiration from age-old Chinese myths for his illustrations.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Xiong Liang, the only artist in China so far shortlisted for the Hans Chris-tian Andersen Award, is out with new books of a series on creatures called Mu Ke, Li Yingxue reports.

In the Anthology of Tales From Records of the Taiping Era published in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), there are elf-like creatures named Mu Ke, who are shy and mysterious, as short as human kids and they make handicrafts.

They are now the stars in artist Xiong Liang's new book series, Little Mu Ke, where they always wear hoodies made of plant fiber and live in the peach blossom forest, a fantasy place where humans have always yearned to go.