Michaela Goade facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michaela Goade
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Goade at the 2022 Texas Book Festival.
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| Born | 1989/1990 (age 34–35) Juneau, Alaska, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Fort Lewis College |
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Notable work
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We Are Water Protectors Berry Song |
| Awards | Caldecott Medal (2021) Caldecott Honor (2023) |
Michaela Goade (born in 1989 or 1990) is a talented Native American illustrator. She is a member of the Tlingit and Haida tribes. Goade is well-known for her beautiful artwork in picture books about Indigenous people. In 2021, she won the prestigious Caldecott Medal for her illustrations in We Are Water Protectors. This made her the first Indigenous artist to ever receive this important award. Her book, Berry Song, also earned a Caldecott Honor in 2023.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Michaela Goade was born in Juneau, Alaska, around 1989 or 1990. She is part of the Tlingit and Haida tribes from Alaska. She also belongs to the Kiks.ádi clan of Sitka.
Goade went to Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. There, she studied graphic design and marketing. She earned her bachelor's degree in 2014.
Illustrating Amazing Stories
After college, Goade worked as an art director for two years. She also worked as a freelance artist. Later, she decided to focus on illustrating children's books. She moved back to Juneau to work on the Baby Raven Reads series for the Sealaska Heritage Institute.
Her first book in this series was Shanyaak'utlaax: Salmon Boy (2017). For this book, she won the 2018 American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Picture Book. In 2019, she illustrated Encounter, written by Brittany Luby. Reviewers praised her "gorgeous" and "aching" illustrations.
We Are Water Protectors
Goade's next big project was We Are Water Protectors. Carole Lindstrom wrote this book, and it was published in 2020. The story was inspired by the Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock. Goade spent several months in 2018 creating the watercolor illustrations.
In 2021, she won the Caldecott Medal for her work on this book. She was the first Indigenous artist and the first woman of color to win this award. People loved how her pictures told the story. One reviewer said you could understand the main message just by looking at the art.
Other Notable Works
Goade also created a Google Doodle on December 30, 2020. It honored Elizabeth Peratrovich, a Tlingit civil rights activist. In 2021, she worked with Canadian author Tasha Spillett-Sumner on I Sang You Down from the Stars. This picture book is about an Indigenous mother getting ready for her new baby.
Her book Berry Song came out in 2022. It was recognized as a 2023 Caldecott Honor book. In 2023, Goade teamed up with former U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo. They created Remember, a picture book based on Harjo’s poem. Goade also designed the cover for the young adult thriller, Warrior Girl Unearthed (2023) by Angeline Boulley.
Illustrated Books
