Paola Escobar

Paola Escobar is a Colombian graphic designer and illustrator known for her richly detailed, expressive artwork in children’s books, including Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré. She grew up traveling between towns in Colombia and began drawing the family and countryside stories told by her grandmother from a young age, experiences that continue to shape her visual storytelling and focus on cultural diversity. She has illustrated for international publishers such as Oxford University Press, Penguin Random House, Scholastic UK, Laurence King, HarperCollins, and Little, Brown, and works as a freelance illustrator based in Bogotá, Colombia, where she lives with her husband and their dog, Flora.

Beyond Planting Stories, Escobar has illustrated a number of notable titles, including Digging for Words (an ALA Notable Book and recipient of the Americas Award and the International Latino Book Award), the biography Queen of Tejano Music: Selena, and installments of the Pages & Co. middle-grade series such as The Bookwanderers, The Lost Fairy Tales, and The Map of Stories. Her body of work frequently highlights unsung heroes and stories that celebrate Latin American and global cultures.