Chris Soentpiet is the recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work and Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year for SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL. His other prestigious honors include the International Reading Association (IRA) Book Award for MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, MOLLY BANNAKY & COOLIES which has won the Parents Choice Gold Award. His illustrations have been featured in the New York Times, Houston Chronicle, Ebony Magazine, Newsweek, USA Today. Chris’s stunning realistic watercolors plays with the illumination of light. Fellow illustrators at the Society of Illustrators in New York City rewarded his artistic realism with its highest honor, a Gold medal. As an adoptee, Chris’ multicultural background and experiences are reflected in his choice of distinct cultural and historical setting. Chris is known for his books celebrating diversity and visiting schools across the country promoting the love of literature and the arts.