WE SOURCE, PACKAGE & DEVELOP CHILDREN’S & YOUNG ADULT STORIES WITH UNIVERSAL APPEAL, FROM UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES FOR BOOKS, FILM, TV & DIGITAL MEDIA
Monique Wray
Illustrator/Author
About the Artist Instagram Website
Monique is a San Francisco-based, Miami-born, artist, animator, and illustrator. Her work is typically characterdriven with a touch of whimsy. Once upon a time, she modeled 3d characters in Maya and worked on VFX for commercials before returning to her illustration roots. She now incorporates those technical skill sets into the work she does today. Small’s focuses are 2d animation, illustration, narrative work, and GIFs. All with a pop of color, bold lines, and even bolder subjects.
Lau Moraiti
Illustrator/Author
About the Artist Instagram Website
Laura is a Latina children’s book illustrator from Uruguay. She’d been a graphic designer for a number of years but started her illustration journey in 2017 after having her son. Her favorite mediums for illustration are watercolors and colored pencils because they help infuse life into the characters and worlds. In her digital illustrations, she’s committed to exhibiting the same warmth brushstrokes and handmade textures that come out in her physical art. She specializes in illustrated books for kids - including early reader graphic novels, bilingual board books, picture books and more. She’s worked with diverse companies like Paw Prints Publishing, In KidZ, New York Edge and Magical Corazón Books.
Dac Trung Tran
Illustrator/Author
About the Artist Instagram Website
A cubicle-bound ofce worker by day and illustrator by night, Trung specialise in visual storytelling for children’s literature. Trung nurtures his creative soul by drawing colorful scenes for children books for various publishers around the world. Trung’s books have been published in US, UK, Singapore, Vietnam and China.
Trung’s published children books include ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, a collaboration with Singapore Hospice Council that talks about the sensitive topic of end-of-life care and ‘The Stars that Shine for You’, published by Global Publishing House (US) to help children learn how diferent cultures around the world cope with the passing of their loved ones. Most of Trung’s works other works are children picture books depicting Asian folklores and cultures.
Paige A. Mason Illustrator
About the Artist Instagram Website
Paige Mason resides in Central Valley’s, Fresno, California where she lives with her family of 5, and 5 pets! She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Art with an Illustration emphasis from the University of Arkansas - Little Rock. She is currently teaching elementary visual art, and on the pathway to receive her Masters degree and Single Subject credential in art. Other titles
Paige has illustrated include I Grab the Mic and I Love Everything About Me. Paige enjoys creating illustrations for stories that are infuenced by joy, whimsy, and children’s imaginations.
Amanda Romanick
About the Artist Website
Amanda Romanick is a multi-disciplinary artist whose passion and education for craft began at the young age of 5-years-old when she was hand-selected for the Talented Arts Program in her hometown parish and she began to focus heavily on creative education and outlets, like drawing and painting. Amanda is also a mom of a young child and felt the need to do her to create more balance between natural engagement and screen use.
• Fontaine the Pidgeon Starts a Revolution (2023) – Illustrator
Illustrator
About the Artist Instagram Work Samples
Being able to master every talent is one of the things that I’m passionate about. It takes time, sacrifce and dedication to get the best and unique results in every project and it’s defnitely worth it. That’s why I call it a Lab of Creativity. Welcome to my World.
Berto
Illustrator
Author
About the Artist Instagram Work Samples
Mikki Hernandez is an actress, voiceover artist, and writer. She attended UCLA earning a degree in Communications and works in flm, television, and commercials. She is of mixed-race heritage and enjoys discussing culture and new perspectives on her blog MixedKids&Co. In her free time, she can be found dancing all night long or planning her next international trip. Mikki lives in Los Angeles.
Mikki Hernandez
Author
About the Artist
Carina Ho’s debut picture book, Mighty Mara, is about a girl who uses a wheelchair and doesn’t let it stop her from doing what she loves—dancing. For her story, Carina drew from her own lived experience of becoming disabled and joining a dance company. Having trained to dance prior to her disabling injury, she had until that time only understood dance from an able- bodied perspective.
Becoming a dancer in a wheelchair forced her to reshape her idea of who should be allowed on stages and how to react when others don’t understand the concept of someone in a wheelchair dancing. She hopes young readers—with and without disabilities— come away from her work seeing the value of being committed to pursuing what they love. When she isn’t writing, Carina is a musician and music producer who performs under the moniker ONIKHO.
Carina Ho
Mighty Mara (2023) –
Author
Illustrator/Author
About the Artist Website
Gloria Day is a writer and illustrator who lives in St. Louis, MO. She taught at the early childhood and elementary school levels for nearly a decade before deciding to take on the role of full time caregiver for her mother in 2020. She holds a B.A. in English, but the only formal training she has had as an artist came through a few design courses she took because of her love for drawing.
She has self-published two children’s books: Phoebe the Photographer and a children’s poetry book titled Eighteen People Changed the World. It Will Change You for the Better is her most recent publication. Gloria has also provided illustrations for selfpublished authors. Her most recent illustration credit is Dreaming of Atlanta with Arcadia Publishing.
Gloria Day
Matt Scott Fly
Author
About the Artist
Matt Scott Fly is a 7x Paralympic Basketball Medal Winner and accessibility activist. His non-proft, Fly Without Limits, aims to help as many people as they can pursue a life of fulfllment, regardless of their physical abilities. He is deeply committed to breaking down the barriers that prevent people with disabilities from achieving their goals and dreams and actively works to provide resources, information, and opportunities to help people with permanent physical disabilities reach their full potential. His desire to create children’s books that inspire kids to strive despite the challenges of their circumstance.
Abi Fox
Illustrator/Author
About the Artist Instagram Work Samples
Abi Fox is a multidisciplinary designer and illustrator who is always making, feeling, and fnding meaning. Inspired by a childhood full of diverse art and media, Abi wants to encourage creative kids just like her to express their wildest ideas.
Like any kid, Abi had a lot of questions growing up. The books she wants to create answer those questions in a way that is engaging and informative for kids, and reaches out to the inner child of the adult reading to them.
Britt Gondolfi
Author
About the Artist
She had an alligator for a pet as a child. Her grandfather was the captain of the Creole Queen steamboat that sails down the Mississippi river in Louisiana. She spent her Mardi Gras at her great grandma’s house on Magazine Street. Using only a lonely planet book, she traveled to India solo at 18 before smartphones were a thing. If Lake Ponchatrain was a clock, she claims her home is six o clock to midnight. Britt. Gondolf is an “elder millennial” stone soup. Like any true millennial worth her salt: she has almost as many jobs as she has hobbies: law student, waitress, research assistant, project coordinator for the Bioneers, solo gig musician, a teacher at the School of Rock, and most importantly: mother. Concerned over how her cell phone was taking her attention away from her child, she wrote: “Fontaine the Pigeon Starts a Revolution” as an urban legend joke for her daughter. Now, if she ever gets too caught up in her phone, her 6-year-old will politely remind her, “mom you better put that away before a bird poops on it.”
• Fontaine the Pidgeon Starts a Revolution (2023) – Author
Grace Kegel
About the Artist
Grace Kegel is a visual storyteller interested in design, illustration, and sequential work. She has always loved the medium of comics and draws infuence from animation and flm. Her experience in comics thus far consists of cover and interior illustrations for a children’s comic book titled The Last Breath made for Each Story Matters. She has also done commissions for other personal comic projects. Being able to bring her stories to an audience that resonates with them is all she’s ever dreamed of doing with her career.
Illustrator
Janeen Jackson
About the Artist
Work Samples
Janeen Jackson is an educator, artist, author, and community activist with a passion for equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice. Janeen Jackson lives in Evanston, IL, with her husband, Ron Clark, and their two sons, Tyson and Phoenix. She is the author of Hello Sweet Baby: An Adoption Journey.
Author
• Hello, Sweet Baby!
Jessica Pomales
Author
About the Artist Instagram Work Samples
Jessica Alamo Pomales was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Chicago. Young Jessica navigated the world as a frst-generation immigrant, who learned English as a second language in the Chicago Public School system. Her passion for diversity in children’s literature is driven by this experience.
A writer since grade school, Jessica was an imaginative child who created fanciful tales that centered herself as the protagonist of every story since lead characters at the time weren’t refections of her or her community. She aims to create stories so that Afro-Latinx kids can see themselves represented in her writing. In addition to being an author, Jessica is an ordained minister whose dedication to her community fueled her drive for faith- based organizing and advocacy.
But, her successful career in ministry has come to an end after being diagnosed with Chronic Pain Syndrome and an autoimmune disorder. Now, Rev. Pomales has redirected all her time and energy toward her love of writing and raising her young family.
About the Artist
Kruti Desai
Illustrator
Work Samples
My name is Kruti, I am a freelance illustrator & graphic designer living in Melbourne, Australia with my lovely husband & son. I have been working as a freelance graphic designer for advertising agencies, event agencies and design studios, for 10+ years, but my true passion lies in illustrating children’s books. Creating and illustrating stories brings immense happiness and purpose to my work life. I love to create a world full of colors, diverse and quirky characters which captures the emotion of young readers and help them connect to the world of storytelling.
Malik Sickstein
Author
About the Artist Instagram Work Samples
Malik Sickstein is a native New Yorker based in California who dares to blur the lines between traditional and unorthodox writing styles. The multi-hyphenate specializes in children’s fction and adult non-fction, entering the scene by lending his pen to the Young Adult novel world. Sickstein’s debut children’s picture book, I Grab The Mic, served as an introduction to his unconventional rhyming-word schemes and themes of overcoming obstacles. Heavily infuenced by his personal background as a recording artist and a clinician, The Howard University and John Jay College alum refects the sum of all of his parts in each of his works.
Marlon McKenny
Illustrator/Author
Founded by Award Winning illustrator, Marlon McKenney, Conscious Culture Publishing is a leading creator in African historical fction and diverse mutli-cultural content. Leveraging 3D technology, CCP creates highly-detailed illustrations and animations that bring African histories, mythologies, and legends to life.
Illustrator/Author
About the Artist Instagram Website
Mónica was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Growing up in the vibrant island, she developed an urge to pursue art; from doodling on the desks of her high school to painting in watercolors. After graduating high school in 2017, she went on to Savannah College of Art and Design where she acquired her Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts, majoring in Animation and minoring in Illustration. Since then she has worked in all kinds of projects: Designing backgrounds for animated shorts; illustrating children’s books for many storytellers and publishers, like: Scholastic, Astra Publishing, SM Puerto Rico, and Marvel Press / Disney Publishing. Even having one of her artworks showcased in the Smithsonian National American Latino Center!
Mónica Paola Rodriguez
About the Artist Instagram Website
Pablo Broseta is a video game designer and illustrator for Triple Cherry Studios in Spain. He loves creating comics, picture books, and animation.
Pablo Broseta
Illustrator/Author
Ray
Mendoza Landa
Illustrator/Author
About the Artist Instagram Website
Ray Mendoza Landa graduated from SJSU in 2019 with a BFA in Animation/Illustration. He absolutely loves working in children’s animation and cannot believe he made my dreams a reality. Growing up, he didn’t have a lot of LatinX artists to look up to or a lot of shows where he saw characters that looked like himself. Ray hopes to show young kids of color that there are people that look like them working in the industry. He works along side creative individuals who want to tell new, diverse, and underrepresented stories to the next generation of storytellers.
Dwight Taylor, Sr.
Illustrator/Author
Dwight Taylor, Sr. is a TEDx speaker, #1 Amazon bestselling author, and international professional communicator endorsed by the legend of motivation Les Brown. As an educational consultant and efective communication coach, improving the culture and climate of groups, organizations, and companies is one of his highest priorities. His belief that better communicators equal better relationships has led him to coach individuals in the areas of personal & professional development, with efective communication as the foundation.
Dwight Taylor, Sr. combines a bachelor of science degree with over 20 years of experience engaging audiences across every education sector. The Golden State Warriors presented Dwight with the “Impact Warrior” award for his service and support of the Bay Area community. He provides inspiration and information to create healthy human beings for increased positivity, productivity and possibility.
About the Artist
Rev Valdez
Illustrator/Author
About the Artist
Rev grew up hearing scary and wonderful stories of Filipino folklore from his family and always felt a deep connection to mythology in storytelling. Born in the Philippines, Rev’s family moved to San Francisco when he was young and he’s spent most of his life in the Bay Area. Rev grew up watching his grandpa draw and was mesmerized by the scenes that fowed from his pencil. This is where he developed his loved for art. He tries to carry what he learned from his grandpa into his art today.
Roxanne Chester
Author
About the Artist Instagram
Work Samples
Roxanne Chester is a Black and Latina author based in Berkeley, CA. Her passion is creating children’s books that address empathy and humanity for the underserved and overlooked.
As a graduate of Berkeley Law School she’s worked in criminal defense, serving as lead attorney in over a dozen jury trials and as a litigator working with corporations and insurance companies in insurance subrogation cases.
Illustrator/Author
About the Artist Instagram Website
From an early age, Camila Sarra’s passion for painting and cinema has been the driving force in her life. Camila’s path led her to study flm, where she directed various short flms and participated in the creation of advertisements, flms, and theatrical productions. Throughout this journey, she never stopped exploring and perfecting her skills in painting, which eventually led her to illustration, where she could merge her two passions naturally.
Camilla Sarra
Jihae Huh
Illustrator/Author
About the Artist Instagram
Jihae Huh was born in South Korea in 1984. She graduated from Some Institute of Picture Book School (SI) in 2020 and held a solo illustration exhibition in South Korea the following year. She aims to demonstrate emotion, connection, timelessness, and whimsey in her work.
Saidi Alifa
Illustrator
About the Artist Instagram Work Samples
My name is Saidi Alifa (Suh-Yee-Dee Uh-Lee-Fuh), and I am an illustrator with a passion for bringing stories to life through my artwork. I believe that art has the power to convey emotions, tell tales, and connect with people on a profound level.
As such, through my illustrations, I strive to create a unique and engaging experience for people, inviting them to see the world through my eyes and perhaps discover a piece of their own story along the way. Thank you for taking time and viewing my art. I hope my work inspires you as much as it inspires me.
Alegra Daishelle Author
About the Artist
Alegra loves books and was a voracious reader throughout her childhood. She gained experience in storytelling in her 20s and early 30s, taking movement theater classes, attending acting school, and writing a solo performance piece.
At 35, Alegra contracted Lyme Disease and was bedridden for many years. During this time, children’s stories started coming to her. She fnds joy in writing for children. Later, her attendants started bringing their children with them. Alegra spent time reading to and playing with their kids. She gained experience helping children navigate their feelings and emotions.
Living with a chronic illness, she has to constantly adapt to changing physical and environmental conditions, navigating bureaucracies, and other people’s schedules. This led to writing There’s an “A” In the House. She imagined a family adapting to their quirky house.
*Alegra chooses not to provide a portrait due to an electricity sensitivity.
