Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,

where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life. This month’s question:

Do you have a successful author or illustrator whose career you admire and if so, whom—and why?

“I have too many to list so I’ll just pick three: LeUyen Pham, Suzy Lee, and Matt Forsythe. LeUyen Pham is a master author/illustrator with the speed, technique, and versatility one could only dream of! She doesn’t let style, medium, genre, or format limit her way of expression. It’s no wonder she continues to dominate this industry. Suzy Lee’s brilliantly simple, yet profound books took my breath away. The way she plays with her concepts and experiments with her illustrations is out of  this world. Lastly, I’ve always been a fan of Matt Forsythe’s beautiful illustrations, and when he debuted his author-illustrated book, I was immediately charmed by his humor and characters.”

—Isabella Kung, author-illustrator of NO SNOWBALL! (Orchard Books, 2022)

“I’m a big fan of fellow Soaring ‘20s Rajani LaRocca and Vicky Fang, because they write in so many genres and categories, from picture books to early readers and graphic novels (Vicky), and middle grade novels (Rajani). I’ve recently branched out into graphic novels and am working to master novels, and it’s tough. Every format demands a different style of writing and further development of the writing craft.”

—Kirsten W. Larson, author of THE FIRE OF STARS: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of (Chronicle Books, 2023)

“I will echo Kirsten’s answer of Rajani and Vicky, who are both so prolific while wearing many hats. And I will add Nikki Grimes, whose esteemed career in kidlit has spanned decades. She continues to publish poetic works in categories that span all ages of children’s literature and consistently gives back to the community.”

—Lindsay H. Metcalf, co-editor of NO WORLD TOO BIG: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change (Charlesbridge, March 2023)

“I admire so many authors and illustrators. To name a few, I’m a big fan of Kathleen Krull’s books because she was a prolific author who crafted beautiful biographies like Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, and Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman. I also admire Demi because she not only wrote biographies about diverse figures but she also illustrated her books in her own unique style.”

—M.O. Yuksel, author of ONE WISH: Fatima al-Fihri and the World’s Oldest University (HarperCollins, 2022)