Melissa Sweet
Melissa Sweet
Award-winning Children's Book Illustrator
Born and raised in suburban Wyckoff, New Jersey, Melissa Sweet received an Associate’s Degree from Endicott Junior College in Beverly, Massachusetts, and studied art at the Kansas City Art Institute. She has worked at various types of commercial art, and has created posters, greeting cards, and one-of-a-kind handmade books.
Since entering the world of children’s books with illustrations for the first of James Howe’s Pinky and Rex easy reading series, she has published over 60 titles. Her lighthearted, gentle cartoon illustrations have graced a wide range of children’s books from board books to series fiction to more serious nonfiction subjects, all very successfully.
Early in 2009, she received the Caldecott Honor for her illustrations in Jen Bryant's A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams.
Other Awards:
CARMINE: A LITTLE MORE RED: Lupine Award Honor for 2005 & The New York Times Book Review 10 Best Illustrated Books 2005
BABY BEARS CHAIRS: 2005 Golden Kite Award
THE BOY WHO DREW BIRDS: John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers; The NY Public Library's Best Books for 2004 List; Junior Library Guild Selection
In Autumn 2009, Melissa brought to life the words of folk singer Peter Yarrow in his picture book adaptation of the folk classic, Day is Done.
She is currently working on Easy As Pie (by Cari Best) - which features Jacob, a budding chef, and his trial-and-errors at making a peach pie - and Rubia and the Three Osos, a version of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" with a Spanish twist by Susan Middleton Elya.
Melissa lives with her husband and step-daughter in a small coastal Maine village near a working harbor. Above her drafting table there's a quote from the poet Mary Oliver: "To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work".
Melissa Sweet Illustration