Kaylani Juanita
Illustrator
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kaylani Juanita McCard, professionally known as Kaylani Juanita, is an illustrator.[1] Her work focuses on activism, empowerment of people of color, and LGBTQ+ people.[1] Her work has appeared in publications through Chronicle Books, Cicada Magazine, and Lee & Low Books.[2] Her first book illustrated, Ta-Da! by Kathy Ellen Davis, was released by Chronicle Books and nominated for an Young Readers award via the 38th Annual Northern California Book Awards.[3][4] In 2018, ELLE Magazine featured her work and interviewed her at length in context of her memorial illustrations based on the murder of Nia Wilson, a black woman who was fatally stabbed in a suspected hate crime while exiting a BART train.[5][6][1] In 2017, she illustrated "9 Books for Woke Kids," an article by Guinevere de la Mare.[7]
Kaylani Juanita | |
|---|---|
Juanita in 2021. | |
| Born | Kaylani Juanita McCard |
| Occupation | Illustrator |
Education
Juanita attended B. Gale Wilson Elementary School in Solano County's Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District as well as Rodriguez High School.[4] While attending Rodriguez, Juanita spent a summer studying at CalArts. She then attended Solano College[4] before transferring to California College of the Arts. She earned her BFA in Illustration from California College of the Arts.[8][4] As of 2019, she is working on a Master's in Design at the University of California, Davis.
Personal life
Juanita is based in Fairfield, CA[9] and identifies as a mixed-race[10] femme queer person.
Awards and honors
When Aiden Became A Brother
Kaylani Jaunita and Kyle Lukoff published When Aiden Became a Brother in 2019. In 2020, the book was awarded the Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award,[11] landed a top spot on the American Library Association Rainbow List,[12] and was named a Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book.[13]
Bibliography
- Next Level: A Hymn in Gratitude for Neurodiversity by Samara Cole Doyon, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (2024)
- Loud and Proud: The Life of Congresswoman Shirley Chishom by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (2023)
- Together We Swim by Valerie Bolling, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (2023)
- Together We Ride by Valerie Bolling, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (2022)
- A House for Every Bird by Megan Maynor, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, (2021)
- Magnificent Homespun Brown by Samara Cole Doyon, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (2020)
- When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (2019)
- Watch Us Rise by Reneé Watson & Ellen Hagan, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (2019)
- Ta-Da! by Kathy Ellen Davis, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (2018)
Podcasts
- The Creativity Habit[10]