Esme Shapiro
Esmé Shapiro
artist, children's book illustrator
Q&A
Why did you choose to become
an illustrator?
I chose to become an illustrator because I was so moved by the pictures in the books I read as a child. They helped guide me to better understand what it meant to relate to others, to be a good friend, to dream. Just picking up a picture book now brings me back to that magic. I wanted to be apart of that.
Who was your biggest female role model now or when you were little?
My biggest female role model will always and forever be my mother. Fearless, loving, and fiercely creative, she is a wonder. She gets any job done with grace, humor and love. She can do anything she sets her mind to. She also always just let me be me. If I was curious about what would happen when you fried apples and cheese together, she would get the frying pan ready!
What's been your proudest
career moment?
The first reading I ever did of OOKO, my first book. I was so nervous before because I had never read my own book out loud to an audience. Kids are very honest, and I was worried that maybe they would not like it. But within the first few minutes I realized they were very receptive to that little fox, and before long we were all laughing with each other.
"I would like the next generation of girls to know that they are
the most powerful people on the planet."
Her Books...
more about me...
My current girlcrush is...
Elizabeth Warren. She is doing incredibly important work.
The scariest thing i've ever done was...
I rode on a banana boat once. It was horrifying!
Growing up, i wanted to be...
Being happy with yourself and what you're doing.
"[I believe illustrations] give people an insight into another world. They help guide people and teach them to dream. It's magic!"
