Meet the illustrators for Level Up at Your Library

  • Ruth Chan

    Ruth Chan is an illustrator/author of comics and children’s books. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Cup of Jo, and with publishers HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Disney-Hyperion, and Abrams. Prior to illustrating full time, she spent her teens in China and a decade working with youth and families in underserved communities. She is a proud Canadian and lives and works in NYC. 

    https://www.ohtruth.com/

  • Carey Pietsch

    Carey Pietsch is the co-adapter and cartoonist on the New York Times #1 bestselling The Adventure Zone graphic novel series from First Second Books. She was previously the artist on Lumberjanes #29-32 and the Adventure Time: Marceline Gone Adrift miniseries, and she makes original comics about magic and empathy. When she's not working, you can probably find her reading, playing games with low skill but great enthusiasm, or hiking and birdwatching around NYC. 

    http://www.careydraws.com/

  • Oge Mora

    Oge Mora is a collage artist and storyteller. Her picture book, Thank You, Omu!, was a Caldecott Honor, Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, and Ezra Jack Keats Book Award recipient.  Her second book, Saturday won the 2020 Boston Globe—Horn Book Picture Book Award. Oge’s artwork has been applauded by The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Boston Globe. She is also a 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 Lister in Arts & Style. Oge grew up in Columbus, Ohio but resides in Providence, RI. She is a fan of all things colorful, patterned, or collaged, and enjoys creating warm stories that celebrate people coming together. 

    http://www.ogemora.com/

  • Vanessa Brantley Newton

    Vanessa was born during the Civil Rights movement, and attended school in Newark, NJ. Being part of a diverse, tight-knit community during such turbulent times, Vanessa learned the importance of acceptance and empowerment in shaping a young person’s life. When she read Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, it was the first time she saw herself in a children’s book. It was a defining moment in her life, and has made her into the artist she is today. As an illustrator, she includes children of all ethnic backgrounds in her stories and artwork. She wants all children to see their unique experiences reflected in the books they read, so they can feel the same sense of empowerment and recognition she experienced as a young reader.

    https://www.vanessabrantleynewton.com/