Eric Velasquez

Eric Velasquez earned his BFA from the School of Visual Arts and has illustrated over 30 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, and in 2010 Eric was awarded an NAACP Image award for his work in “Our Children Can Soar” which he collaborated on with 12 notable children’s book illustrators. Eric also wrote and illustrated “Grandma’s Records” and its follow up “Grandma’s Gift” which won the 2011 Pura Belpre’ Award for illustration.

Recently Eric illustrated “Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library” by Carole Boston Weatherford which earned five starred reviews and won the 2018 Walter Award from the WNDB organization as well as the SCBWI’s  Golden Kite Award. In 2019 Eric wrote and illustrated “Octopus Stew” which has gathered rave reviews and is sure to make you laugh. One of Eric’s newest books is the much anticipated “Ruth Objects: The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg” by Doreen Rappaport, published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers and one of his latest titles, “She Was The First! The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm” by Katheryn Russell Brown  published by Lee and Low Books. Won the 2021 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literature for Children. His Newest  Books are ¡Mambo Mucho Mambo! The Dance That Crossed Color Lines by Dean Robbins and “Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and his Glorious Book” by Tonya Bolden.

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