Diane deGroat

Diane deGroat has been illustrating children’s books since 1972, with over 150 books to her credit. She has done artwork for many well-known authors, including Eve Bunting and Lois Lowry.

Since 1995, she has been writing and illustrating her own stories. Her picture books about Gilbert the opossum include Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink and Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet. Thirteen additional books are in this series, which has won four state children’s choice awards. In 2009, a spin-off series of I Can Read books (HarperCollins) debuted, offering beginner readers their own stories to read about Gilbert and his friends.

In 2011 she began ilustrating the Charlie the Ranch Dog series for blogger and Food Network star, Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. Drummond’s basset hound is featured in five picture books and six easy readers.

The newest book that Ms. deGroat has written and illustrated is The Adventures of Robo-Kid. This picture book introduces a whole new format and art style. It blends two parallel stories, one in the real world and one inside a comic book.