Award-winning illustrator SONIA SÁNCHEZ paints with both traditional and digital brushes using layers of texture in her work to evoke emotion and movement. Her debut picture book, HERE I AM (Capstone), received two starred reviews and was nominated for the Eisner Award in the category of Best Painter interior art. Sonia’s art has been selected for the prestigious Society of Illustrators Original Art Show three times. She lives with her husband, son, and a sleepyhead cat in a blue house near the Mediterranean Sea.
Visit Sonia online at:
For more information, please contact Teresa Kietlinski at teresa(a)bookmarkliterary.com.
Sonia’s Bookshelf:
Tamales for Christmas
Tamales para Navidad
by Stephen Briseño
by Sonia Sánchez | Random House Studio | 2024
• A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Snow Is . . .
by Laura Gehl
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Paula Wiseman Books | 2024
Something on the Hill
by Jane Kohuth
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Ann Schwartz Books | 2024
★ “The rural settings are rendered with the softness of pastels, lots of texture, and beautiful earth tones…. text flows with equal charm as the critters interact; the scenes work perfectly with the illustrations to build suspense for the big reveal.” —School Library Journal, starred review
The Little Green Swing | Little Ruby’s Big Ideas
by Brenda Maier
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Scholastic Press | 2023
One Sweet Song
by Jyoti Rajan Gopal
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Candlewick| 2023
Love Made Me More
by Colleen Rowan Kosinski
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Amazon Two Lions | 2022
★ “Imaginative and tender, this story may inspire conversations or projects around special objects in readers’ families; recommended for all collections.”—School Library Journal
Dog Says, Cat Says
by Marilyn Singer
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Dial Books | 2022
★ “Using rhyming couplets, Singer humorously delves into the distinct differences between dogs and cats using a ‘he said, she said’ format . . . Perfect timing makes the poetic story easy and enjoyable to read aloud. Illustrations created with pencil and Photoshop present warm, bright colors and feature plentiful patterns ande ntertaining details throughout . . . A delightful day-in-the-life tale.”
—Booklist, starred review
The Little Blue Bridge | Little Ruby’s Big Ideas
by Brenda Maier
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Scholastic Press | 2021
• A Leaping Lizards Reading List selection, 2022
• Selected as a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year 2022
• 2022 Oklahoma Redbud Read-Aloud Masterlist
• 2022 Oklahoma Book Award Finalist
Bubbles . . . Up!
by Jacqueline Davies
illus. by Sonia Sanchez | Harper, Katherine Tegen Books | 2021
• Selected by Barnes & Noble as a Bookseller’s Favorite
• A Society of Illustrators Original Art Show selection, 2021
• Shortlist for the 2021 New England Book Awards
Translation Rights:
Japanese | Holp Shuppan Publishers
For translation rights please contact Rebecca Mancini at rightsmix(a)gmail.com
• Booklist’s 2021 Editor’s Choice: Books for Youth list
Activity Guide: download
★ “Davies’ cascading lines of verse text read aloud beautifully, rewarding listeners with wordplay [and leave] space for Sánchez’s effervescent illustrations to work their magic. The imaginative underwater scenes are particularly fine. This high-spirited picture book celebrates the joy in swimming. A mesmerizing book that conjures up a summer day.”
—Booklist starred review
★ “A swimming pool and a young swimmer create watery magic together. Davies’ lighthearted, lively poetry describes the singular joy of an afternoon at the neighborhood pool in this celebration of underwater swimming and splashing. Sánchez’s illustrations capture the way sunlight ripples through water and convey the blissful freedom of weightlessness, diving to the bottom of an imaginary ocean world and rocketing to the top amid bubbles. The exuberant sense of being purely in the moment is delightful.”
—Kirkus Reviews starred review
★ “Descriptive verse text with a scribble of clouds capture a bubble-filled watery world. It’s easy for swimmers to dream and imagine the pool filled with saltwater depths of treasure. VERDICT A recommended first purchase for all libraries, this title will interest readers who love the world underwater, or those who recognize the freedom and confidence borne of immersive play.”
—School Library Journal starred review
Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away
Evelyn Del Rey se muda (Spanish Edition)
by Meg Medina
illus. by Sonia Sanchez | Candlewick | 2020
★ “Newbery Medalist Medina’s versatility is in evidence here, showing she’s as much in tune with the picture-book audience as she is with older readers. With lines that go at angles and splashes of bold colors and patterns, Sánchez’s artwork is as lively and full of movement as the two girls. Layered applications of color create texture, and the interiors of their apartments are cozily beckoning. A tender story of friendship and change. —Kirkus Reviews starred review
★ Publisher’s Weekly starred review
★ Horn Book Magazine starred review
★ BookPage starred review
★ The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books starred review
• the 2020 JUMPSTART READ FOR THE RECORD book of the year (2.24 million readers)
• A Society of Illustrators Original Art Show selection, 2020
• A Publisher’s Weekly Best Picture Book of the Year
• A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
• A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
° A Junior Library Guild selection (English and Spanish Edition)
A Crazy-Much Love
by Joy Jordan-Lake
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Amazon Two Lions | 2019
“The standout illustrations burst with energy and are as saturated with color as the subject of the story is showered with love. A perfect gift for an adoptive family—and every family that has a deep and abiding love for their young children.” —Booklist
“An honest and encouraging story about a transracial adoption.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Although adoptive families will especially appreciate this book, all families will enjoy the message of how crazy-much parents love their children…” —New York Journal of Books
“Vibrant and bright images fill the pages of this genuinely charming story. This is a realistic portrayal of a modern foreign adoption from the adoptive parents’ point of view. Eye-catching and heartwarming, this is an excellent choice for anyone wishing to share the loving bond between parents and their children.” —School Library Journal
Raisins and Almonds
by Susan Tarcov
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Kar Ben | 2019
My Quiet Ship
by Hallee Adelman
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Albert Whitman | 2018
The Little Red Fort | Little Ruby’s Big Ideas
by Brenda Maier
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Scholastic Press | 2018
• A Texas 2×2 Reading List Selection, Texas Library Association, 2019
• A One Book for Colorado winner, 2020
• An Alabama Camellia Children’s Choice Book Award Masterlist selection, 2019
• A Chicago Public Library best picture books of the year selection, 2018
• 2020-2021 Sunshine State Young Readers Award Junior List
• 2019 Oklahoma Book Award Finalist
• 2019 Redbud Read-Aloud Masterlist
• 2019-2020 TN State Book Award Nominee
• 2022 NC Picture Book Award Nominee
• A Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year
★ “The Little Red Hen gets an appealing girl-power update . . . Young makers of all genders will be inspired.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books starred review
The Curious Cares of Bears
by Douglass Florian
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | little bee books | 2017
Sister Day!
by Lisa Mantchev
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Paula Wiseman Books | 2017
“Sweet, upbeat, and refreshing.” —Kirkus Reviews
• a 2018 Bank Street College Best Book of the Year, 2018.
Green Green: A Community Gardening Story
by Marie Lamba and Baldev Lamba
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | FSG | 2017
• A Society of Illustrators Original Art Show 2017 selection
• CBC NCTE Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2018
The Wonderful Habits of Rabbits
by Douglass Florian
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | little bee books | 2016
★ School Library Journal starred review
• A Society of Illustrators Original Art Show 2017 selection
Here I Am
by Patti Kim
illus. by Sonia Sánchez | Capstone / Picture Window Books | 2013
• A KIRKUS Best Book of the Year
★ Starred review from Kirkus
*”Sánchez has captured a kaleidoscope of emotion and powerful sensations in a way children will grasp completely. It’s The Arrival for younger readers.”–Kirkus Starred Review
★ Starred review from Publishers Weekly
• Nominated for the prestigious Eisner Award in the category of Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art). See the full list of nominated titles here.
• Feature on Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast blog.
• A Junior Library Guild Selection (JLG) Selection.
• Review from the New York Times Book Review.
“Kim and Sánchez bring to their lively pages the heightened perceptions of the recently arrived. From the startling whoosh of pigeons’ wings to the click of coins deposited in a parking meter to the reflective shine of the polished airport floor, everything in this new world is worth noticing. ” —NYT
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