Jillian Tamaki author page

Jillian Tamaki biography

Jillian Tamaki is an author, illustrator and cartoonist whose work for young readers includes graphic novels, picture books and illustrated editions of classic novels. She illustrated This One Summer, written by Mariko Tamaki and published by First Second on 6 May 2014 for readers aged 12 to 18.

This One Summer was a collaboration by cousins Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki. The book won an Eisner Award and received both a 2015 Caldecott Honor and a 2015 Michael L. Printz Honor.

Tamaki wrote and drew They Say Blue, a picture book published in 2018 for younger children. The book follows a young girl exploring colours in the world over the course of a year, and is identified for an interest age of 4 to 7 and a reading age of 5+.

Her illustrated work includes Penguin Threads editions of classic novels, including The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, published on 25 October 2011 with cover art by Tamaki. She also wrote and illustrated Young Cat, Old Cat, a 40-page picture book from Viking Books for Young Readers scheduled for 22 September 2026 for ages 3 to 7.