Join award-winning children’s book illustrators Leo Espinosa, Katie Hickey, Oge Mora and moderator Brian Floca for a discussion about biographical picture books and the role of illustration in bringing true stories to life on the page.
This event is free to attend.
About the Artists:
Leo Espinosa is an award-winning Illustrator and Designer from Bogotá, Colombia, whose work has been featured internationally in a variety of publications, products, animated series and gallery shows. His short list includes The New Yorker, The New York Times, the BBC, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Chronicle Books, Swatch, and Facebook.
Leo’s work has been recognized by The Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, Communication Arts, and 3×3. In 2019, he received the Pura Belpré Honor Book award for Islandborn, from the American Library Association. The New York Times bestselling children’s book was written by Pulitzer Prize winner, Junot Díaz.
Most days you’ll find him drawing picture books, unless he’s out riding his bike in the mountains around Salt Lake City, where he lives with his wife. Learn more here.
Brian Floca was born and raised in Temple, Texas, and now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He is the author and illustrator of numerous books for children, including Locomotive, winner of the 2014 Caldecott Medal, a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, and a New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Books of the Year; Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, a Sibert Honor Book, New York Times Best Illustrated selection, and a Society of Illustrators silver medal winner; Lightship; and The Racecar Alphabet.
Brian’s books as illustrator include Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan’s Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring, Laura Amy Schlitz’s Princess Cora and the Crocodile, and Avi’s Poppy Stories series. Learn more here.
Katie Hickey is a freelance children’s book illustrator based in leafy Surrey, 40 minutes outside of London. She works in fiction and non-fiction however these often combine and she enjoys bringing out the beauty and magic in real life and history. When she’s not illustrating, Katie is usually found walking her dog or learning pottery in her local studio. Learn more here.
Oge Mora is a storyteller residing in Providence, RI. Her picture book, Thank You, Omu!, was a Caldecott Honor, Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, Ezra Jack Keats Book Award recipient, and a New York Times Notable Book and Editors’ Choice. Her second book, Saturday was a Parent’s Magazine, Publishers’ Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Horn Book, and School & Library Journal Best Book of 2019.
Oge’s artwork has been applauded by The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Boston Globe. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with a degree in Illustration. Oge is a fan of all things colorful, patterned, or collaged, and enjoys creating warm stories that celebrate people coming together. Learn more here.