Meet the author

Poonam Mistry.

Illustrator · United Kingdom

Poonam Mistry: an author-illustrator whose intricate, South-Asian-influenced artwork turns original fables of self-acceptance and belonging into treasures to pore over.

Poonam Mistry is a British author-illustrator whose picture books are instantly recognisable for their intricate, jewel-like artwork. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire, she draws by hand in black ink before adding colour, building dense geometric patterns drawn from her Indian heritage — Kalamkari textiles, Madhubani painting and traditional design. In How the Stars Came to Be, an original folk tale, a fisherman's daughter is given the stars to scatter across the night sky; in The Midnight Panther, a small, shy big cat learns that he is perfect exactly as he is. Both are lyrical fables of love, belonging and self-acceptance, set against sumptuous, poreover-worthy pages. Mistry has been shortlisted three times for the Kate Greenaway Medal, and her spellbinding artwork makes her books treasured gifts for readers of four and up.