I’m an illustrator and teacher based in Los Angeles and I’ve been drawing and making things my whole life.

I received my undergraduate degrees at UC Berkeley in art (printmaking) and molecular biology, then a masters in Urban Education at UPenn. I taught K-8 science in Philadelphia thinking I’d be a career educator. Though picture books didn’t feature much in the standardized science curriculum, when I was able to include them, they had an outsize role in engaging my students, conveying concepts, and got me wondering… Could I make picture books?

The first book I remember making was for a class project in the 3rd or 4th grade. It was a pop-up book about a parrot named Max and a dog named Sandy who can’t stand each other but (spoiler alert!) become best friends after Max’s boastful attitude gets him into trouble with a predator. I loved the book as a medium for visual storytelling, I loved the craft that went into making the book: figuring out the pop-up mechanisms, sewing the signatures, using a bone folder, binding the book and creating a book jacket. I loved getting starred reviews from my classmates and in turn writing reviews for them.

My debut picture book Play With Me! published many years later in 2017. Since then I’ve illustrated a number of titles- most recently Jeong is Jeong by Jessica Yoon. I’m most inspired by the natural world, families, traditions and folktales. I find inspiration in the act of observing things very closely, thinking about the things I can’t observe or don’t know, and when I must problem solve or learn something new.

I usually work from my home where I enjoy cooking, gardening and spying on the urban wildlife that passes through. When not teaching or on deadlines for client/commissioned work or books, I enjoy backpacking and camping with my husband, sewing, tackling my (many) manuscripts-in-progress and dreaming up future projects.

Selected Clients and Publications:
Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Sleeping Bear Press, Literati, The Village School

I’m represented by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio.