Cherise Harris is an author and illustrator from Barbados. Her debut author-illustrated picture book, The Toy Plane, publishes in 2026 with Denene Millner Books, and she is currently working on Audrey’s Magic Book Club, an author-illustrated early graphic reader series with Chronicle. Cherise completed her Associate Degree in Visual Arts at the Barbados Community College, her BFA in Illustration at the School of Visual Arts in NYC and her MA in Illustration: Authorial Practice at Falmouth University in the UK. She is inspired by childhood memories, and the books and movies she enjoyed growing up in the 90s, which often had to do with children going off on big adventures. Cherise works in a variety of media, including pencil, inks, watercolors and digital, and her dream jobs include book cover illustrations and portrait illustration for editorial. For fun Cherise loves watching movies and documentaries, and baking. She currently lives in Barbados with her husband and two children.
Medina Erika Rodriguez
Hello, I’m Erika Rodriguez Medina. I’m a Mexican illustrator and book publicist living in Canada. My favorite things in illustrations are expressive characters, scribbly lines and grainy textures. There is a special place in my heart for folklore, spooky stories, big house plants and things you’d find at a grandma’s house. I’m actually two mapaches in a trench coat.
Click here for a sneak inside Erika’s process
Brown, Keith Henry
Keith Henry Brown got his start drawing superheroes, but music has always been his true inspiration. He has worked as a designer for advertising agencies and high profile music-related projects, including creating posters for Jazz Appreciation Month for the Museum of American History and The Newport Jazz Festival, and creating jazz album covers for artists such as Christian McBride, Kevin Eubanks, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Wynton Marsalis. Keith’s first children’s book, Birth of The Cool: How Miles Davis Found His Sound, was published by Page Street Books in 2019 and received a Starred Review from Kirkus.
Born and raised in Staten Island, Keith is father to two magnificent boys, Cole and Satchel (whom he affectionately calls his “two knuckleheads”) and lives and works in Brooklyn, surrounded by his favorite Spider-man, Batman and Black Panther action figures.
Mai Sarah
Sarah Mai is an illustrator, comics artist, and writer based in Chicago. She has an English degree from the University of Minnesota, where she discovered her love for graphic novels. Her work centers on funny, heartwarming stories for all ages, often exploring the awkwardness and humor of growing up. Inspired by everything from medieval printmaking methods to The Muppets, Sarah brings a playful yet thoughtful touch to her art. She enjoys working across a mixture of mediums—gouache, acrylic, ink, and colored pencil—to create soft, nostalgic textures that invite readers into her world.
Dwivedi Avani
Avani Dwivedi is an author and illustrator of picture books, including the School Library Journal Best Book of the Year My Bollywood Dream. She grew up in Navi Mumbai, India, and later moved to the States to pursue her passion of becoming an artist. A Maryland Institute College of Arts graduate with a BFA in Illustration and Book Arts, Avani holds on to her most precious gems — memories of her sweet childhood, the lived experience of being a South Asian woman, and her love for creating whimsical art. Avani lives in Jersey City, NJ.
Johnson Cathy Ann
Through bold imagery and lyrical storytelling, Cathy Ann Johnson creates worlds where history, culture, and imagination come alive, captivating readers of all ages. A graduate of Columbus College of Art & Design, she began her career at Hallmark, crafting emotionally rich content that resonated with children. Her love for storytelling shines through in her compositions, where words and pictures work in harmony, capturing the world through a child’s perspective. She has collaborated with leading publishers and brands, including Random House, Scholastic, HarperCollins, Bloomsbury, UNICEF, Crayola, and Disney. Her storytelling through illustration has been honored by American Illustration, Communication Arts, and School Library Journal. Her illustrations in the picture book Stand Up! were transformed into a traveling art exhibition, showcased at the Zimmerli Museum and the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in Tuscaloosa. Cathy Ann splits her time between the U.S. and Italy. Whether painting in her Tuscan studio or exploring ancient ruins, Cathy Ann finds inspiration in the world around her–transforming moments into art that sparks imagination and wonder.
Barlow Charnelle Pinkney
Charnelle Pinkney Barlow is an author, illustrator and an expert tea drinker. Born and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York, she now lives in central Illinois. Growing up surrounded by a family of artists nurtured her love of art. She received her BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2010 and her MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts in New York, New York in 2012. Her debut children’s book Just Like a Mama by Alice Faye Duncan was nominated for Children’s Outstanding Literary Work at the 52nd NAACP Image Awards. Her first author/illustrated book Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar has received several starred reviews. Charnelle’s favorite places include the library, used bookstores, and the art supply store.
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Patton Julia
Julia Patton was born a wildling, and traveled extensively with a pencil & sketchbook before finally settling in rural Northumberland UK. She has illustrated over 50 books and authored five of her own titles, and is currently working on the sixth. She’s worked with global clients such as Penguin Random House, BBC, Bonnier, Paperchase, Chick-Fil-A, Harper Collins, and Bloomsbury. Her highlights include being on Barnes & Nobles’ Character Wall of Fame, the Kids Indie Next List, and being nominated for the 110 Most Influential Children’s Illustrators UK. Julia works primarily in traditional media and collage, finishing her illustrations digitally. She loves character design, hand lettering, drawing fantastical gadgets and dreaming of living in a giant redwood tree.
Briggs Harry
Harry Briggs was raised in the California sunshine incessantly doodling. A graduate of Art Center College of Design, Harry has spent the better part of 30 years solving creative riddles for a spectrum of clients including American Greetings, Scholastic, McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the LA Times, and the Washington Post. Harry doodles his days away in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his family and an assortment of woodland creatures that frequent his yard.
Click here for a closer look at Harry’s work
Chavarri Elisa
Elisa Chavarri is an award-winning and New York Times-bestselling illustrator originally from Lima, Peru. She did much of her growing up in Northern Michigan, where her family kept their Peruvian culture and Latin roots alive. After studying Classical Animation and Comics at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Elisa made her way back to Alpena, Michigan, where she now resides with her husband and two kids. Living in rural northern Michigan offers plenty of inspiration for this nature/animal lover, even when the front door is covered in an inch of fish flies. With her work she hopes to inspire a sense of magic, happiness, & wonder in children, while helping more kids feel represented as the protagonists of these stories. She is the illustrator of the New York Times bestseller, Taylor Swift, A Little Golden Book, and the Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book, Sharuko.