Children’s illustrator, author, and Caldecott Medal winner Michaela Goade has said that she did not intentionally set out to become a children’s book author or even an illustrator. She said it wasn’t until after she had been working in picture books for a while that she realized that “picture books are reflections of our society.” Inspired? Check out the Youth Media Awards in the Book Nook section of the February 2025 Scoop.