Leo Espinosa

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About Leo Espinosa

Leo Espinosa is an award-winning Illustrator and Designer from Bogotá, Colombia, whose work has been featured internationally in a variety of publications, products, animated series and gallery shows. His short list includes The New Yorker, The New York Times, the BBC, Random House, HarperCollins, Chronicle Books, Swatch, and Facebook.

Leo's work has been recognized by The Society of Illustrators, American Illustration and Communication Arts. In 2019, he received the Pura Belpré Honor Book award for Islandborn. The New York Times bestselling children’s book was written by Pulitzer Prize winner, Junot Díaz.

Most days you’ll find Leo illustrating picture books, unless he’s out riding his bike in the mountains around Salt Lake City, where he lives with his wife.

Accolades

Society of Illustrators 54, Gold Medal. 51, 52, 55, Silver Medal

Communication Arts, Illustration, Design, and Typography Annuals

Pictoplasma Character Encyclopaedia and Character Compendium

3x3 Pro Show Gold in Editorial & Conceptual Illustration

Society of Illustrators Stevan Dohanos Award 2012

Society of Illustrators Dilys Evans Founder's Award for Picture Books 2015

Pura Belpré Honor Book for Illustration 2019

Follow Leo on Instagram for his most recent work

@studioespinosaworks

www.studioespinosa.com

Rafael López

Jacqueline Woodson

Matt de la Peña

Juana Martinez-Neal

Sonia Sotomayor

Christian Robinson

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Hardcover

Titles By Leo Espinosa

All Formats Kindle Edition Audible Audiobook Paperback Hardcover

The World Belonged to Us May 10, 2022

by Jacqueline Woodson, Leo Espinosa

( 3 )

$10.99

Two children’s book superstars—#1 New York Times bestseller Jacqueline Woodson, the author of The Day You Begin, and Leo Espinosa, the illustrator of Islandborn—join forces to celebrate the joy and freedom of summer in the city, which is gloriously captured in their rhythmic text and lively art.

It's getting hot outside, hot enough to turn on the hydrants and run through the water--and that means it's finally summer in the city! Released from school and reveling in their freedom, the kids on one Brooklyn block take advantage of everything summertime has to offer. Freedom from morning till night to go out to meet their friends and make the streets their playground--jumping double Dutch, playing tag and hide-and-seek, building forts, chasing ice cream trucks, and best of all, believing anything is possible. That is, till their moms call them home for dinner. But not to worry--they know there is always tomorrow to do it all over again--because the block belongs to them and they rule their world.

(This book is also available in Spanish, as El mundo era nuestro!)

Other Formats: Hardcover

Our Subway Baby Sep 15, 2020

by Peter Mercurio, Leo Espinosa

( 332 )

$10.99

This gentle and incredibly poignant picture book tells the true story of how one baby found his home.

"Some babies are born into their families. Some are adopted. This is the story of how one baby found his family in the New York City subway."

So begins the true story of Kevin and how he found his Daddy Danny and Papa Pete. Written in a direct address to his son, Pete's moving and emotional text tells how his partner, Danny, found a baby tucked away in the corner of a subway station on his way home from work one day. Pete and Danny ended up adopting the baby together. Although neither of them had prepared for the prospect of parenthood, they are reminded, "Where there is love, anything is possible."

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover

Islandborn Mar 13, 2018

by Junot Díaz, Leo Espinosa

( 1,121 )

$10.99

From New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Díaz comes a debut picture book about the magic of memory and the infinite power of the imagination.

A 2019 Pura Belpré Honor Book for Illustration

Every kid in Lola's school was from somewhere else.
Hers was a school of faraway places.

So when Lola's teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families immigrated from, all the kids are excited. Except Lola. She can't remember The Island—she left when she was just a baby. But with the help of her family and friends, and their memories—joyous, fantastical, heartbreaking, and frightening—Lola's imagination takes her on an extraordinary journey back to The Island. As she draws closer to the heart of her family's story, Lola comes to understand the truth of her abuela's words: “Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it's not in you.”

Gloriously illustrated and lyrically written, Islandborn is a celebration of creativity, diversity, and our imagination's boundless ability to connect us—to our families, to our past and to ourselves.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover

Goldfish on Vacation Apr 10, 2018

by Sally Lloyd-Jones, Leo Espinosa

( 133 )

$9.99

From a New York Times bestselling author and a rising-star illustrator comes a humorous tale based on an amazing-but-true story about the summer a city fountain was used as a goldfish pond.

H, Little O, and Baby Em are stuck in the city for the summer with only their pet goldfish—Barracuda, Patch, and Fiss—for company. It's looking like it might be a pretty boring vacation, but one day, something exciting happens. Someone starts fixing up the old fountain down the street—the one Grandpa says horses used to drink from before everyone had cars—and a sign appears: "Calling All Goldfish Looking for a Summer Home." H, Little O, and Baby Em can't wait to send their goldfish on vacation, and the fish, well, they seem pretty excited too. Based on the true story of Hamilton Fountain in New York City, this charming tale of one special summer will delight readers young and old. Author’s Note included.

Praise for How to Be a Baby . . . by Me, the Big Sister by Sally Lloyd-Jones:
"This book is adorable, original, well-illustrated and fabulous." —The New York Times

Praise for Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph, illustrated by Leo Espinosa:
"Espinosa creates colorful, dynamic images that burst from the page." —Booklist

Other Formats: Hardcover

The Creature of Habit Nov 9, 2021

by Jennifer E. Smith, Leo Espinosa

( 30 )

$10.99

A delightful picture book about a creature of habit whose routine suddenly gets disrupted by the unexpected arrival of a new friend. A perfect story for little readers learning social emotional skills that explores the joy of trying something new!

A very big creature with big teeth, big eyes, and very big feet lives on the island of Habit. Every day the creature happily does the exact same things in the exact same order.

That is, until a small boat carrying a very small creature with small teeth, small eyes, and very, very small feet arrives on the island. The big creature is excited to share his routine, but the small creature has ideas of his own. The little creature does something different every day--it's madness to the big creature!

Can these two creatures learn to understand each other? Is the island big enough for both of them? Colorful and captivating, this is a story about learning with and from your friends.

Other Formats: Hardcover

Lola: Edición en español de ISLANDBORN (Spanish Edition) Mar 13, 2018

by Junot Díaz, Leo Espinosa

( 217 )

$10.99

Del exitoso autor en ventas según el New York Times y ganador del Premio Pulitzer, Junot Díaz, nos llega su primer álbum ilustrado acerca de la magia de los recuerdos y el poder infinito de la imaginación, ¡ahora en español!

Todos los niños en la escuela de Lola venían de otra parte. Era una escuela de lugares lejanos.

Así que cuando la maestra de Lola pide a sus alumnos que hagan un dibujo del lugar del que emigraron sus familias, todos los niños se entusiasman. Todos, menos Lola. Ella no recuerda la Isla: se fue cuando era apenas un bebé. Pero con la ayuda de su familia y de sus amigos, todos ellos con sus recuerdos —felices, maravillosos, tristes, aterradores—, la imaginación de Lola la lleva en un extraordinario viaje de regreso a la Isla. Cuando finalmente se acerca al corazón de la historia de su familia, Lola llega a entender el sentido de las palabras de su abuela: «Que no recuerdes un lugar, no significa que no sea parte de ti».
Espléndidamente ilustrado, y escrito en una bella prosa, Lola es un homenaje a la creatividad, a la diversidad y a la imaginación sin límites, que nos permite conectar con nuestra familia, nuestro pasado y con nosotros mismos.

Other Formats: Hardcover

No More Naps!: A Story for When You're Wide-Awake and Definitely NOT Tired Feb 4, 2020

by Chris Grabenstein, Leo Espinosa

( 902 )

$10.99

Imagine if you could steal your toddler's nap? This picture book debut from a #1 New York Times bestselling author turns the universal dilemma of getting kids to sleep upside down!

It's time for a nap but, just like stubborn toddlers everywhere, Annalise Devin McFleece won't have anything to do with bedtime. Dad tries to encourage sleepiness by pushing her around the park in her stroller. Along the way, they pass a man sitting on a bench, dog walkers walking dogs, a boy on a skateboard, kids playing ball, a girl practicing her juggling, and others. Each of them thinks that taking a nap is a great idea and if Annalise Devin McFleece doesn't want hers, they'll happy take it. And one by one, everyone falls asleep...except Annalise Devin McFleece. But when she's finally ready for her nap, all the naps are taken! Is there anyone who has an extra nap to spare?

With every turn of the page, the busy city scene becomes more and more quiet...except for Annalise Devin McFleece.

Will she ever take a nap?

Other Formats: Hardcover

Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph Sep 8, 2015

by Lucy Margaret Rozier, Leo Espinosa

( 26 )

$4.99

The fastest man in the West meets his match in this deliciously clever original tall tale. With his extra-long legs, Jackrabbit McCabe can outrun anything on the American frontier: horses, trains, and even twisters. So of course, everyone in the town of Windy Flats always counts on his speed when a message has to get out fast. Then something new comes to town: the telegraph, which can send Morse code messages with the speed of electricity. At first, no one believes the newfangled contraption can deliver a message quicker than Jackrabbit. . . . But in a race between man and machine, who will be left in the dust?

An author's note includes information about the invention of the telegraph, a Morse code key, and a riddle written in Morse code for kids to transcribe.

"A strikingly accomplished debut.... A terrific tall tale about the costs and opportunities of technology." —Publishers Weekly, Starred

"Good, quick-moving fun. Kids may marvel that communication existed before the telephone and Internet." —Kirkus Reviews

Other Formats: Hardcover

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