About Esme

Esmé Shapiro is a creator of books for kids.

Esmé was born in Los Angeles, California. most of her childhood was spent roaming around the dry brush and blossomed succulents in Laurel Canyon. In 2010, She ventured east to attend the Rhode Island school of design. She now lives in Catskill, New York. Her favorite place to paint is in her studio at her farm house, where she surrounds herself with many animals and flowers. She lives with her husband, Daniel Newell Kaufman, who is a filmmaker, and their two scruffy dogs, Chebini and Olympia. She will never say no to a bagel.

Esmé’s childhood has never roamed far from her heart, and she has a deep held belief that that time in one’s life is immensely powerful. Children are always busy at work, carving out their inner worlds that eventually become the foundation for the rest of their lives. Esmé makes books that aim to be fuel for their imaginations, with a strong emphasis on the importance of empathy and friendship.

A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Esmé is a past recipient of both the Nancy Lee Rhodes Roberts Scholarship and the SILA West 53 Gold Award-Phillip Hayes Scholarship. She has exhibited at The Society of Illustrators and her work has been featured in Taproot, Quill and Quire, and Plansponsor Magazines.

She has illustrated 10 books for children, 6 of which she wrote. Her books have been published by Penguin Random House, Schwartz and Wade, and Enchanted Lion. Her first book, OOKO, was nominated for a Governor General Literary Award and was # 1 on the National Post Best Sellers List. Another one of her books, MY SELF, YOUR SELF,  was listed as one of the Best Children’s Books of the Year 2023 by The Bank Street College of Education. Her books have been translated into 5  languages and have been featured in Publisher's Weekly, Los Angeles Review of Books, Globe and Mail, Quill and Quire, and the New York Times.