Vanessa Roeder is the author and illustrator of Lucy and the String, The Box Turtle (a Spring 2020 Kid’s Indie Next List pick), The Stack, The King Penguin (winner of the 2024 Irma Black Award and NPR Book We Love), and Narwhal Vs. Kindergarten (all published with Dial). A former muralist, Vanessa now spends her time making books for children using layers of paper, paint, colored pencils, and a little bit of digital magic. Vanessa lives in Austin, TX with her kids and an ornery dog. When she’s not making messes in her studio, Vanessa loves pretending to be on Broadway, doing magic puzzles with her youngest, and dressing up in costume (lately as a narwhal) to promote her books online, at schools, and in bookstores.
