Karen Katz

Karen Katz is an American author and illustrator of children’s books, best known for her brightly colored, textured artwork and engaging board books for babies and toddlers. She has written and illustrated numerous titles, including Ten Tiny Babies, as well as Where Is Baby’s Belly Button?, Counting Kisses, The Colors of Us, Can You Say Peace?, and My First Ramadan.

Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1947, Katz studied at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and later attended the Yale Graduate School of Art and Architecture, where she developed a strong interest in folk art and global visual traditions such as Indian miniatures, Shaker art, and Mexican art. Her first book, Over the Moon, was inspired by the adoption of her daughter from Guatemala, and much of her work reflects her fascination with folk art, collage, and multicultural themes. Before creating children’s books full-time, she worked in creative fields including costume design, quiltmaking, fabric art, graphic design, and illustration, and she now divides her time between New York City and upstate New York.