Esme Shapiro is an illustrator and author of books for children. She spent her childhood roaming around the dry brush and blossomed succulents of Laurel Canyon, California. She eventually ventured east to New York, where she now splits her time between the Hudson Valley and Brooklyn. She lives with her husband and their two scruffy dogs. Her childhood never roamed far from her heart, and she has a deep held belief that that time in one’s life is immensely powerful. Children are always busy at work, carving out their inner worlds that eventually become the foundation for the rest of their lives. Esme makes books that aim to be fuel for their imaginations, with a strong emphasis on the importance of empathy and friendship. www.esmeshapiroillustrations.com

Esmé is a past recipient of both the Nancy Lee Rhodes Roberts Scholarship and the SILA West 53 Gold Award-Phillip Hayes Scholarship. She has exhibited at The Society of Illustrators and her work has been featured in Taproot, Quill and Quire, and Plansponsor Magazines. Her first book, OOKO, was nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award and was # 1 on the National Post Best Seller’s List.

3 Fun Facts

1. I know how to Irish jig!
2. If I were an animal, I would be an elephant.
3. I can bake a very tall cake