Author and illustrator Nina Crews creates books that celebrate childhood and the power of imagination. Her debut title, One Hot Summer Day, will celebrate its 30th year in print in 2025. Nina is best known for her distinctive photocollage style and interpreting poetry in books like A Girl Like Me, The Neighborhood Mother Goose, and Seeing Into Tomorrow: Haiku by Richard Wright. More recently, Nina has put her camera aside to create digital illustrations for the books I’m Not Small, a story of milestones and mastery, as well as the non-fiction titles Extraordinary Magic: The Storytelling Life of Virginia Hamilton and Not Done Yet: Shirley Chisholm’s Fight for Change. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and son. www.ninacrews.com

Awards

Nina is the recipient of the 2023 New York State Library Association’s Empire State Award. Nina’s work has been recognized by the ALA Notable Committee, the Black Caucus of the ALA, The Horn Book, Junior Library Guild, NCTE, CCBC, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Bank Street College of Education, and many others.

3 Fun Facts

1. I always wanted to be an artist.
2. My parents are the author/illustrators Donald Crews and Ann Jonas.
3. My favorite color is all of them.