Juana Martinez-Neal

Juana Martinez-Neal is a Peruvian American children's book author and illustrator. Her debut book as an author illustrator, Alma and How She Got Her Name, was well reviewed and won a 2019 Caldecott Award Honor.

Biography

Juana Martinez-Neal grew up in Lima, Peru. Growing up she hoped to be a painter, like her father and grandfather, as the profession of illustrator was not common in Peru. She moved to the United States in her mid-20s. After having children of her own she decided to become an author and illustrator of children's books. She now lives in Arizona, with her husband and three children.

Awards and honors

• 2018 Pura Belpré Illustrator Winner – La Princesa and the Pea
• 2019 Caldecott Honor – Alma and How She Got Her Name
• 2019 Ezra Jack Keats Award Writer Honor – Alma and How She Got Her Name”
• 2020 Sibert Medal – Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story