Paola Escobar

Paola Escobar is a Colombian illustrator and graphic designer based in Bogotá. She grew up moving between towns in Colombia, sketching the stories her grandmother told about their family, the countryside and its animals — an early love of drawing that grew into a childhood ambition to illustrate children's books.

She has since illustrated picture books and middle-grade novels for publishers across the world, working from her own research and travel to ground each book's imagery, and is known for stories that celebrate cultural diversity and honor overlooked historical figures.

Her work includes the award-winning "Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré," the "Pages & Co." series by Anna James, and the "Cordelia Hatmaker" trilogy by Tamzin Merchant. She both wrote and illustrated the picture book "Love Is," which won a 2021 Northern Lights Book Award.