Hello!

I am Emily and I write and illustrate picture books.

Welcome to my website!

As a creative person, I’ve always loved making things with my hands—drawing, writing, gardening, sewing, tinkering, fort-building. I delight in the magic of creating something out of (seemingly) nothing! ✨✍️✨ I’m also endlessly curious, always asking questions, always learning. 🤓 And I love sharing what I discover! Through my children’s books, I get to write words, paint pictures, and talk about the wonders of the universe! 💧🌈🌦️

My new children’s book series, Science Pals, is here to introduce the basics of science and nature! I know, it’s a big ask, but I’m starting small… with a Drop 💧 of water, a Puff 💨 of air, and a Ray 🌟 of light! These adorable characters are ready to teach science in a new, fun way!

I started this series with a splatter painting. I put a smiley face on a blue ink drop and there she was, my new children’s books character! 💧I had just moved to Florida and I was new to the daily storms of the tropics. There was always so much water falling from the sky! It was awe-inspiring! It got me painting splatter art and studying the water cycle. And after much painting and pondering, and writing and revising, Drop became a book (2021, Dial Books of PRH).

After Drop, which gained great reach (770,000 copies distributed) through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library as a Blue Ribbon Selection in 2022 and 2023, I was excited to make a book about Drop’s bestie, Puff. So I got to work again, this time, writing all about air. Now, in order to make Puff, I had to tinker away for a couple years learning how to layer my art Photoshop, which ended up paving the way for Ray, whom I made almost entirely in Photoshop. I just love that Drop is literally made of drops of water 💦 and Ray is literally made of pixels of light. 🌟

I’m so happy the Science Pals are getting out there in the world, helping kids understand it. And since today’s kids are jumping into science younger than ever, now is a good time to be talking about it! Children are growing up in a new world of tech and discovery, so they need to be grounded with a fundamental understanding of how things work in our physical world. I hope my books answer questions, spark wonder, and help kids explore the fascinating universe around them—so they’re ready to shine in a future full of possibilities. 🪐✨🌏✨💫✨