Shadra Strickland studied, design, writing, and illustration at Syracuse University and later went on to complete her M.F.A. at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She won the Ezra Jack Keats Award and the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent in 2009 for her work in her first picturebook, Bird, written by Zetta Elliott. Strickland co-illustrated Our Children Can Soar, winner of a 2010 NAACP Image Award. Shadra is also the illustrator of A Place Where Hurricanes Happen (Random House, 2010), written by Renee Watson: a story of four children in New Orleans before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. Publishers Weekly called Strickland’s illustrations “quietly powerful,” and Booklist said, “In vibrant, mixed-media images, award-winning illustrator Strickland extends the drama, feeling, and individual stories.”

Shadra travels the country conducting workshops and sharing her work with children, teachers, and librarians. She currently works and teaches illustration at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland.

For a complete list of projects please view the "Books" section.

For illustration inquiries contact Painted-Words Agency 212.663.2311.
For event booking please contact info at shadrastrickland dot com

Clients Include: Lee and Low Books, BloomsburyUSA, Random House Books for Children, Candlewick,
Simon & Schuster, Penguin Books for Young Readers, Scholastic

Awards: 2011 Ashley Bryan Children's Literature Award, 2010 NAACP Image Award, 2009 Ezra Jack Keats Award, 2009 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award