On the set of Brown and Black

About

Eric Velasquez was born in Spanish Harlem, NYC, and earned his BFA from the School of Visual Arts. He has authored and/or illustrated 41 children’s books.

His first picture book, “The Piano Man” by Debbie Chocolate, published by Bloomsbury, won the Coretta-Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent.

Eric also wrote and illustrated “Grandma’s Records” and its follow-up “Grandma’s Gift,” which won the Pura Belpre Award for illustration.

Later, Eric illustrated “Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library” by Carole Boston Weatherford, which earned five-starred reviews and won a Walter Award from the WNDB (We Need Diverse Books) organization.

Eric also wrote and illustrated “Octopus Stew,” which gathered rave reviews and is sure to make you laugh, and the Spanish version “Pulpo Quisado" won the silver medal for Best Spanish-Language book from Bank Street College.

Eric illustrated “She Was the First! The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm” by Katheryn Russell-Brown, published by Lee and Low Books, and it was awarded the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literature for Children.

Eric’s book “Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and his Glorious Book” by Tonya Bolden has earned five-starred reviews, and his newest and most ambitious book, “The Polar Bear and the Ballerina”, has earned four-starred reviews.

Eric teaches book illustration at FIT (The Fashion Institute of Technology) in NYC. For more information, please visit his website ericvelasquez.com

AWARDS

  • NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literature for Children

  • Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award

  • Pure Belpre Award

  • Walter Award

  • Jane Addams Award

  • Carter G. Woodson Award

  • Best Spanish Language Book for Children

Author FAQ

  • What inspired you to become an illustrator?

    • My journey started when I was a struggling reader in elementary school. Then I discovered comic books, which improved my reading and inspired me to draw.

  • Where do you draw inspiration from?

    • My work draws on the lives of my heroes, from my grandmother to Arturo Schomburg and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

  • What is ONE pro tip you would give to a student interested in becoming an illustrator?

    • Draw, Draw, Draw, drawing every day will improve your drawing skills. Read, Read, Read. Reading books on art, such as how-to books and also books on artists, will help you better understand the skills and the training necessary for becoming an artist.

Complete list of all of my books below

  1. THE POLAR BEAR AND THE BALLERINA *

  2. OCTOPUS STEW*

  3. LOOKING FOR BONGO*

  4. GRANDMA'S GIFT*

  5. GRANDMA'S RECORDS*

  6. OUTSPOKEN: PAUL ROBESON, AHEAD OF HIS TIME A ONE MAN SHOW

  7. GOING PLACES: VICTOR HUGO GREEN AND HIS GLORIOUS BOOK

  8. RUTH OBJECTS: THE LIFE of RUTH BADER GINSBURG

  9. STRONG VOICES: FIFTEEN SPEECHES WORTH KNOWING

  10. SHE WAS THE FIRST! THE TRAILBLAZING LIFE OF SHIRLEY CHISHOLM

  11. SCHOMBURG: THE MAN WHO BUILT A LIBRARY

  12. NEW SHOES¡

  13. MAMBO MUCHO MAMBO! THE DANCE THAT CROSSED COLOR LINES

  14. THIRST FOR HOME

  15. THE PRICE OF FREEEDOM: HOW ON TOWN STOOD UP UP TO SLAVERY

  16. OL CLIP CLOP A GHOST STORY

  17. TOUCH THE SKY

  18. TWICE AS GOOD

  19. MY UNCLE MARTIN'S BIG HEART

  20. MY UNCLE MARTIN'S WORDS FOR AMERICA

  21. MY FRIEND MAYA LOVES TO DANCE

  22. RACING AGAINST THE ODDS: THE WENDAL SCOTT STOCK RACING"S AFRICAN AMERICAN CHAMPION

  23. BEAUTIFUL MOON

  24. VOICES OF CHRISTMAS

  25. JESSE OWENS FASTEST MAN ALIVE

  26. I, MATTEW HENSEN POLAR EXPLORER

  27. A SEASON FOR MANGOES

  28. HOUDINI: WORLD'S GREATEST MYSTERY MAN AND ESCAPE KING

  29. CHAMPION THE STORY OF MUHAMMAD ALI

  30. THE SOUND THAT JAZZ MAKES

  31. A SWEET SMELL OF ROSES

  32. PECOSITA'S FRECKLY FACE

  33. LIBERTY STREET

  34. AS FAST AS WORDS CAN FLY

  35. ESCAPE! A STORY OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

  36. DAVID GETS HIS DRUM

  37. THE PIANO MAN

  38. OUR CHILDREN CAN SOAR

  39. THE RAIN STOMPER

  40. THE OTHER MOZART: THE LIFE OF THE CHEVALIER SAINT GEORGE

  41. SOME KIND OF LOVE

    * As Author/Illustrator