
TeMika Grooms is a New York Times-bestselling illustrator, who grew up as a military kid with an interest in art and storytelling from an early age. While living in Germany and growing up in Columbus, GA, her mother (who had many career titles including librarian) nourished TeMika’s strengths in the arts. TeMika grew up reading MAD Magazine, comics, and books by Shel Silverstein, while her artistic training was in traditional fine art media. She earned a degree from Georgia Tech and practiced civil engineering and design for many years. She now devotes her time to creating children’s books and visual art. She strives to bring animation, diversity, and expressive movement into her character design. TeMika lives in the hillsides near the edge of a forest east of Atlanta, GA. In her free time, she enjoys walking through Georgia’s hiking trails, digging in her garden, napping with her cat, Nina Simone, and spending time with her daughters, whom she affectionately calls “Thing One and Thing Two.”
Awards / Honors
- 2025 New York Times Bestseller – Leo’s Lunchbox
- 2025 Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) Best Books for Kids and Teens – Getting Us to Grandma’s
- 2025 Book Riot – 8 of the Best Canada-Based Picture Books – Getting Us to Grandma’s
- 2021 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books (Middle Grades Longlist)―American Association for the Advancement of Science – Save the Crash-Test Dummies
- 2020 Best STEM Books ―ASEE / ITEEA / NSTA / SEPA / CBC – Save the Crash-Test Dummies
- 2020 Parents’ Choice Gold Award ―Parents’ Choice Foundation – Save the Crash-Test Dummies
- 2019 Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Award Silver Honor ―California Reading Association – Save the Crash-Test Dummies
- 2019 Booklist Top 10 Sci-Tech Books for Youth – Save the Crash-Test Dummies