Dapo Adeola facts for kids

Dapo Adeola is a talented British-Nigerian artist who creates amazing illustrations for children's books. He is especially known for his work on Look Up!, a popular book from 2020 that explores space science. Dapo Adeola's art often challenges old ideas about race and gender, showing a wider range of characters and stories.

Dapo Adeola's Early Life and Art Journey

Dapo Adeola was born in London, England. His parents came from Nigeria. When he was in high school, Dapo decided he wanted to work in graphic design. He studied art for his General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and GCE Advanced Level exams.

After high school, he took a special art course. Here, he learned about fine art, graphic design, and photography. But illustration, which is drawing pictures for books, wasn't taught. So, Dapo taught himself how to illustrate by taking online courses. While he was studying, he worked part-time at a gym to earn money.

As Dapo kept drawing, his style got better and he felt more confident. He started sharing his artwork on Instagram. Later, at university, he wrote about how picture books could help children learn to spell and count. One of his teachers told him, "Whatever you do, do not stop drawing." Dapo took this advice to heart!

Dapo Adeola's Career as an Illustrator

Dapo Adeola's career really took off thanks to Instagram. That's where he met actor Nathan Bryon. They decided to work together and started writing children's books.

In 2019, Dapo and Nathan signed a deal with Puffin Books. They agreed to create a series of three books about a young astronaut named Rocket. The character of Rocket was actually inspired by one of Dapo's nieces!

Dapo believes it's very important for young children to have access to many different kinds of books. He once said that if you don't see yourself in books, it's hard to imagine yourself doing certain things or seeing positive images of people like you in the world.

Supporting Other Artists

Besides creating his own books, Dapo Adeola also works to help other Black illustrators and creative people. In 2019, he started a special hashtag on Twitter called #BlackBritishIllustrators. This hashtag became a place where Black British artists could share their amazing artwork and stories with others.

Recognizing Illustrators' Work

After Look Up! was published, it won two big awards at the 2020 Waterstones Children's Book Prize. Even though Nathan Bryon always gave Dapo full credit as an equal partner, Dapo noticed that the book industry and media sometimes didn't give illustrators enough recognition. He felt that the importance of the illustrator's role was often overlooked. Dapo wrote an open letter about this, and over 800 writers supported his message. This helped to highlight how important illustrators are in creating beloved books.