| Lea Lyon is a published children's book author and illustrator, active in SCBWI, (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.) She has illustrated six award winning trade picture books. Two new books will be available in 2019 and 2020, one from Christy Ottaviano books, Henry Holt/MacMillan, and the other, which she wrote, from HarperCollins in January 2020.
The picture books Lea illustrated, all still in print, address topical social issues, such as bullying, children with disabilities, same-sex marriage, and different ethnicities and cultures. The first of these, Say Something, by Peggy Moss, Tilbury House Publishers, 2004, about bullying, has sold over 70,000 copies. Her most recently illustrated book, Lailah's Lunchbox, by Reem Faruqi, Tilbury House, 2016, shows a Muslim girl successfully handling celebrating Ramadan in an American school. It was named both an ALA Notable book and an NCSS Notable Social Studies book for 2016 and was listed in articles in Parents Magazine, in 2016, and the New York Times, in spring 2018, as an important book to be read for Ramadan.
Other awards for the books she illustrated include Teachers' Choice Awards for Children's Books in 2005, ILA-CBC Children's Choices list, 2016, Skipping Stones (twice), and Moonbeam award (twice.) Keep Your Ear On the Ball, by Genevieve Petrillo, Tilbury House, was a runner up for the ALA Schneider Family Award in 2007 and was chosen to be one of 50 books from around the world, about children with disabilities, to be housed in Norway in an IBBY collection.
For10 consecutive years, as Illustrator Coordinator for the San Francisco/South region of SCBWI, Lea organized and facilitated an annual children's book illustrator conference featuring nationally famous illustrators, art directors and editors. This popular "Illustrator Day," one of the largest illustrator events in all of SCBWI, drew 70-90 illustrators each year. She retired from that position several years ago to devote more time to her own projects.
Lyon also has an MBA in marketing. She lives in Richmond, CA.
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