Sarah Kurpiel is a picture book author and illustrator. Her debut book, Lone Wolf, received a starred review from the School Library Journal, while her books Original Cat, Copy Cat and Snake’s Big Mistake were Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. Her latest book, A Little Like Magic, was a BCCB Blue Ribbon Selection and received the Schneider Family Book Award.
A member of 12 x 12 since 2020, Sarah is delighted to now serve as a Co-Elf in the Illustration section of the forum. She is a self-taught illustrator and creates her final illustrations digitally. Sarah loves drawing cute, whimsical characters and peaceful nature scenes. She believes deeply in the power of doodling for fun, sharing your work, and wearing cozy flannel shirts as often as possible.
A librarian by day, Sarah lives in the Midwest. Her stories are inspired by animals, nature, and moments of wonder in everyday life. She hopes her work brings a bit of happiness into the world—and a bit of disability representation too. Sarah uses a power wheelchair and considers her disability an important part of her identity. A few of her favorite things include libraries, elephants, the sea, iced coffee, miniature books, summer, whales, pretty notebooks, polar regions, sci-fi stories, and the color green.
