Vashti Harrison author page

Vashti Harrison biography

Vashti Harrison is an artist, author and filmmaker who creates books for children. She earned an MFA in film and video from the California Institute of the Arts, where she also took animation and illustration classes, and she uses film and illustration in her storytelling for young readers.

Her picture-book and illustrated non-fiction work includes Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on 5 December 2017. The book presents 40 Black women from history and combines short biographical text with Harrison’s illustrations.

Harrison followed that book with Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on 6 November 2018. The book tells the true stories of 35 women creators, including writers, inventors, artists and scientists.

As an illustrator, Harrison’s work includes Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o, Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, I Love You Like Yellow by Andrea Beaty and Hello, Star by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic. Sulwe received a Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor, and Hair Love was published with Harrison as illustrator.

Harrison created Big, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Big won the 2024 Caldecott Medal, received Coretta Scott King Book Award Author and Illustrator Honors, and was a National Book Award finalist.