Two American picture-book illustrators are making a splash—on both sides of the pond—with award-winning publisher Nosy Crow, based in both the U.K. and the U.S.

Earlier this year, Camilla Sucre made her dazzling debut with Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush (Nosy Crow, May 2), written by Patrice Lawrence. And this fall, acclaimed illustrator Jade Orlando brings her cheerful signature style to bear in I’m Going To Be a Princess (Nosy Crow, Dec. 5), written by Stephanie Taylor.

Both artists felt an instant kinship with the stories by these British-born authors.

Sucre, a Baltimore-based Caribbean American artist, was deeply inspired by the tale of a Trinidadian grandmother’s immigration to England in Granny Came Here. In the book, Granny lovingly shares her story with granddaughter Ava, who’s been tasked with dressing up as someone she admires for a school project. (Spoiler alert: She chooses Granny.)

“I’m Trinidadian American, and my whole family’s from Trinidad,” says Sucre, who was born in New York, raised in Baltimore, and graduated with a bachelor’s in fine arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2021. “I love Trinidad. I was really excited to do a project focusing on that culture, that heritage.”

When Orlando received the manuscript for I’m Going To Be a Princess, she fell in love with Maya, a bright young Black girl who knows what she wants: to be a princess when she grows up. Just to make sure Maya is aware of her options, her mother introduces her to a number of pioneering Black women professionals, including neurosurgeon Alexa Canady, Olympic athlete Alice Coachman, and rocket scientist Annie Easley.

“I love to do books featuring women, Black women, powerful women—books that I could imagine as a little girl but didn’t see on shelves that much,” says Orlando, who grew up in Michigan and earned a bachelor’s in fine arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Orlando left a successful career in children’s clothing design in 2018 and has since illustrated more than a dozen books for young readers.

“I love that nowadays more kids can see more of themselves in books,” she says.

Sucre and Orlando recently spoke with Kirkus via Zoom; the interviews have been edited and condensed.

JADE ORLANDO

At what point in your life did you think, I could be an artist?

I’ve been drawing since I was a toddler, since I could hold a crayon. I used to love to draw mythological creatures and cats—I’ve always been obsessed with cats—and I’ve pretty much always wanted to be an artist of some sort. I just didn’t know at a young age what sort of careers were possible in the art world.

That answer is extra good, because it speaks directly to the subject of I’m Going To Be a Princess, which is all about the possible careers Maya might one day pursue.

She wants to be a princess; I wanted to be an artist. I do remember my parents were a little bit nervous about the idea of me becoming an artist, because there are some stereotypes— that maybe artists don’t make the most money, or it’s hard to find a job in the art world—so I felt a little bit of a kinship with Maya, who wants to be something that makes her mom say, “Yeah, that’s great, but here’s something else you could do.…” I also love how the story Stephanie wrote subverts your expectations. On the cover, Maya looks like a traditional fairy-tale princess, but it turns out the princess she wants to be is a unique and cool princess.

What was one of the challenges of illustrating this book?

Along with being a wonderful, super-charming, entertaining [story], it has a historical aspect to it. It can be challenging to mix the historical with the fictional when it comes to illustration styles. One reason Nosy Crow reached out to me for this project was they saw that I’d done some historical pieces and some fiction pieces. The big challenge was to capture the likenesses of all the strong women in the book, while maintaining the characterization and the personality and the love between Maya and her mom.

Who would you include in your personal pantheon of inspiring women?

I love to read, especially sci-fi and fantasy, and Octavia Butler has been such an inspiration to me. She’s not an artist, she’s a writer, but I just love how she established herself in sci-fi, a genre that’s mostly dominated by white men. She’s made some absolutely amazing books and series and become a name unto herself. She’s one of my favorite women. I actually drew a portrait of her once, for her birthday, and posted it. People saw that work and responded to it, and that portrait helped me get my first historical book project.

CAMILLA SUCRE

When you’re considering taking on an illustration project, what are some of the qualities that make you want to say yes?

I always want to be able to connect with a project on some level, whether it’s a personal connection—like I’ve experienced something in this book—or a cultural connection. Or if it’s an exciting concept I haven’t seen much of in my libraries and bookstores. I want the chance to produce something new, to work on a subject that deserves more recognition.

What drew you to the characters in Granny Came Here on the Empire Windrush?

I instantly loved Granny, of course, because she reminds me a lot of my own grandma [to whom the book is dedicated]. And Ava I love because she’s a little ball of curious energy. She reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger: all about dressing up, all about singing and having fun with her grandma. I wanted her to look very cutesy and innocent and happy, because a lot of the time Black girls aren’t seen in that light. I was really happy to be able to make that happen.

If you got the assignment Ava gets in the book, to dress up as someone you admire, who would you pick?

That’s a really good question! Who would I pick? Oh, I know: I would dress up as Halle Bailey from The Little Mermaid. I just saw the movie recently and, oh my gosh, it was so inspiring, rich and vibrant and full of life. She did an amazing job in the role of Ariel.

This book was your first with a major publisher. What did you enjoy about the experience?

Nosy Crow had a specific vision, so I could really depend on them to give me honest feedback, and that helped me push my illustrations further. That’s one thing I really liked. Also, the editors were very, very nice.

What types of projects would you like to take on in the future?

I would love to work on more fantasy stories; I want to do some more graphic novels, YA and middle grade. I’m also hoping to put out some creative projects of my own, which I’m very excited about. I have lots of plans, so stay tuned.

Editor at large Megan Labrise is the host of the Fully Booked podcast.