Juana Martinez-Neal (she/her)
“My work is all about playing. Playing with materials, playing with ideas. And in the midst of playing, I found a life making books. It is my hope to pass that curiosity and playfulness to everyone I meet.”
Biography
Juana Martinez-Neal is the recipient of the 2020 Sibert Medal for Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, written by Kevin Noble Maillard, the 2019 Caldecott Honor for Alma and How She Got Her Name, and the 2018 Pura Belpré Medal for Illustration for La Princesa and the Pea, written by Susan Middleton Elya. She is the New York Times-bestselling illustrator of Tomatoes for Neela, written by Padma Lakshmi.
Juana is also the illustrator of La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes for los Niños, Babymoon, and Swashby and the Sea. She has also illustrated A Perfect Fit: How Lena “Lane” Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion (written by Mara Rockliff, Clarion) and I Don’t Care (written by Julie Fogliano and co-illustrated with Molly Idle, Neal Porter Books), both forthcoming in 2022.
Juana was born and raised in Lima, Peru. She is the daughter and granddaughter of artists. She now lives in the woods in Connecticut, with her husband, three children and two dogs.
Follow Juana on Twitter
Gallery
Book Juana
If you’re interested in having Juana visit your school or attend your event, or if you have a general question about Juana, please fill out the following form: