Melissa Castrillón – illustratör

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 2025***“Enchanting, joyful, full of light and warmth, and glittering with real-world magic.” – Sophie AndersonFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author Cornelia Funke, known for the INKHEART series, comes a new adventure book featuring foil edges and a metallic-effect cover.Enter the story of Caspia, who sets out to solve a series of riddles, and as she does, she meets friends she could have never imagined.Anywhere can feel like home if you are brave enough to put down new roots…Caspia’s summer is transformed when she discovers a bundle of letters containing ten botanical riddles in this enchanting adventure.Twelve-year-old Caspia hates big cities, especially one as busy as New York. So she isn’t thrilled by the news that her parents are taking her to stay in Brooklyn. But everything changes when Caspia discovers a bundle of letters hidden in an old chest of drawers. Each letter contains a ‘green’ riddle, with clues leading to a different plant.The newest adventure from the award-winning author of Inkheart and Dragon Rider, Cornelia Funke weaves magic into every sentence of this new and exciting mystery set in the heart of New York City. The Green Kingdom is perfect for fans of the Greenwild series.Three things you’ll find in this book: Solving riddlesMysteryNew friendshipsPraise for The Green Kingdom:“A lush, vibrant adventure about putting down roots in a new city and how nature helps us connect.” – Emma Carroll“A warm lush hug of a book, brimming with nature and wonderful characters.” – Alastair Chisholm, author of I Am Wolf“Blossoming with mystery and blooming with magic.” – Rachel Morrisroe, author of Felix and the Future Agency

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 2025***“Enchanting, joyful, full of light and warmth, and glittering with real-world magic.” – Sophie AndersonFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author Cornelia Funke, known for the INKHEART series, comes this new adventure book.Enter the story of Caspia, who sets out to solve a series of riddles, and as she does, she meets friends she could have never imagined.Anywhere can feel like home if you are brave enough to put down new roots…Caspia’s summer is transformed when she discovers a bundle of letters containing ten botanical riddles in this enchanting adventure.Twelve-year-old Caspia hates big cities, especially one as busy as New York. So she isn’t thrilled by the news that her parents are taking her to stay in Brooklyn. But everything changes when Caspia discovers a bundle of letters hidden in an old chest of drawers. Each letter contains a ‘green’ riddle, with clues leading to a different plant.The newest adventure from the award-winning author of Inkheart and Dragon Rider, Cornelia Funke weaves magic into every sentence of this new and exciting mystery set in the heart of New York City. The Green Kingdom is perfect for fans of the Greenwild series.Three things you’ll find in this book: Solving riddlesMysteryNew friendshipsPraise for The Green Kingdom:“A lush, vibrant adventure about putting down roots in a new city and how nature helps us connect.” – Emma Carroll“A warm lush hug of a book, brimming with nature and wonderful characters.” – Alastair Chisholm, author of I Am Wolf“Blossoming with mystery and blooming with magic.” – Rachel Morrisroe, author of Felix and the Future Agency

Deep in the garden, one very tiny girl is about to go on a hugeadventure. Step inside Min's magical miniature world, and discoverthat you're never too small to be mighty!Min dreams of being as brave and adventurous as her equally tinyaunts, but she's sure that will never happen. Then one night, anowl whisks her away on an extraordinary adventure, and Min discovershow brave and resourceful she really is.Melissa Castrillón's first picture book as author/illustrator isan exquisitely illustrated adventure with a bold, empowering message.

If you met a dragon, could you keep it secret?One day in the forest, Winnie discovers the last dragon in thewhole world.His fabulous friends, the gryphon, the winged lion and the tree-man,are the last of their kind, too. They'll be in danger if grown-upsdiscover them. But can Winnie really keep themsecret? With its brave, resourceful heroine and magical endangered animals,this exquisite picture book is a perfect story for our time.

Everyone knows Oskar Schindler and his famous list, but few have heard of Aristides de Sousa Mendes―a Portuguese diplomat who saved the lives of thousands in World War II. This magnificently illustrated picture book biography tells a moving story that resonates profoundly today.“He who saves a single life, saves the world entire.” —The TalmudHere is the true and powerful story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who, against his government’s commands, helped refugees flee France to escape the Nazis by granting visas that allowed them entry to Portugal.In one of the greatest individual acts of rescue in World War II, Mendes saved many thousands of people, including the artist Salvador Dalí; H.A. and Margret Rey, the creators of Curious George; professors of medicine, biology, and physics who would go on to teach in America; and thousands of others whose lives are less known but no less precious. He and his family paid dearly for it, but Aristides never regretted his actions, believing to the very end of his life that every life is worth saving.

Nina Laden’s lyrical picture book sees and appreciates through a child’s eyes how fortunate we are to live in the world we do.Celebrate the wonder of the world in this reassuring picture book about the joy, love, and beauty that is part of each and every day. Our world is full of possibilities if you look for them.

“Castrillón offers riotous sprouting life through soft forms, stylized shapes, and bright colors.” —Publishers Weekly “Elegant...A charmingly verdant tale in classic style.” —Kirkus Reviews“Lovely...delightful.” —School Library Journal From internationally acclaimed illustrator Melissa Castrillon comes a magical story of how a girl’s garden in her new home changes her life and the lives of people all around her.When a little girl moves from her home to an apartment in the city, she takes her pretty plants with her and one by one they grow and bloom and change both her world and the world all around her as she makes a new friend. When your heart is open, the world is full of possibilities.

A sparkling and tender picture book about all the things that are bright and loving in the world and fill our lives with joy.From caring to hoping to peace to sharing, there are many ways to find joy in the everyday. Celebrate the things that make life wonderful and each day special. With stunning artwork, readers of all ages will find moments to treasure.

“[Castrillón’s] wild drawings carry a decorative impulse to unexpected heights.”—New York TimesA stunningly illustrated picture book about a curious caterpillar searching for the true meaning of the word “beautiful.” But is there one true meaning—or many?A caterpillar lives a simple life on his leaf until one day, an UnKnown Thing picks him up and calls him beautiful. A question forms in the caterpillar’s mind: “What is beautiful?”So begins a quest to discover the true meaning of the word beautiful. Much to the caterpillar’s surprise, each animal in the forest has their own unique definition:A bear declares that honeycomb is beautiful!The squirrels say leaves are beautiful!A mole says his burrow is beautiful!What’s a caterpillar to do?How Beautiful offers kids an immersive, memorable experience. Elaborate and vivid illustrations by Melissa Castrillón, author of Yellow Kayak and If I Had a Little Dream, combine with a sweet, central message:Beauty is as diverse as we are.“Beautiful” means something different to everyone, and that’s okay!The beauty of the natural world is worth celebrating!

The amazing story of how the world’s greatest fossilist found her first huge find at the age of twelve.Mary was born in 1799 in Lyme Regis, England. Her father, a carpenter and part-time fossil hunter, taught his children to look for fossils.When her father injured himself and was unable to work, Mary quit school and took up fossil hunting full-time to help support her family, a task that became even more important when her father died, leaving the Annings in debt.At the age of twelve, Mary, with her older brother Joe, found what they believed to be the skeleton of a gigantic crocodile, the Great Croc of the legends. Between dodging her rival fossil hunter the Curiman, and the sheer work of carefully digging out the fossil, Mary took almost a year to excavate what would later be termed the Ichthyosaurus. Mary Anning was uneducated, poor and a woman, but her life’s work of fossil hunting led her to make many discoveries that influenced our understanding of prehistoric creatures and the age of the Earth.In this triumphant novel about scientific discovery, Monica Kulling brings Mary Anning and her world to life for young readers.  Key Text Featuresauthor's notehistorical contextresourcesfactsfurther reading

Did you know that humpback whales are some of the furthest travelling mammals in the world? Or that Arctic terns fly from the Arctic to Antarctica and back again?In Melissa Castrillón's wonderfully illustrated Animazes, young readers can follow these incredible journeys through twisting, turning mazes. They can find a safe path for the wildebeest and trace a rockhopper penguin's trail up the slippery cliffs.An interactive, informative title for all ages.

"Frozen meets Narnia in an enchanting children's novel." The Telegraph"The Snow Girl is spectacular. A truly special book of snow and winter magic with the warmest and most cheering beating heart. I can't stop thinking about it." Sibéal Pounder"Destined to be a seasonal classic." M.G. Leonard"Mesmerizing." Hilary McKayFrom award-winning and critically acclaimed Sophie Anderson, comes a fairy-tale story of friendship, belonging and bravery, in an adventure through a winter wonderland. The perfect read for the whole family this Christmas.I wish the snow girl would come to life. Then I would have a friend, a real friend I could trust, and I wouldn't feel so alone.When Tasha builds a snow girl with her grandpa, all she wants is for her to be real. If only wishes on snow could come true... Then Tasha meets Alyana, a friend made of wishes, starlight, snowfall and magic. But when your best friend is made of winter, what do you do when spring comes?

"Frozen meets Narnia in an enchanting children's novel." The Telegraph"Destined to be a seasonal classic." M.G. LeonardFrom bestselling Sophie Anderson, comes a fairy-tale adventure of friendship, belonging and bravery in a winter wonderland. When Tasha builds a snow girl, all she wants is for her to come to life. If only wishes on snow could come true...Then Tasha meets Alyana, whose face glitters with starlight and whose eyes shine ice-blue. Soon, Tasha has a friend and together they spend nights in a winter wonderland filled with adventure and sleigh rides.But Tasha knows that the snow has stayed too long in her village. Only, how can you welcome Spring, when your best friend is made of Winter?A gorgeous wintry story to curl up with, with beautiful black-and-white illustrations from Melissa Castrillon throughout."The Snow Girl is spectacular. A truly special book of snow and winter magic with the warmest and most cheering beating heart. I can't stop thinking about it." Sibéal Pounder

Winner of the Margaret Mallett Award 2026Follow a little boy's friendship and journey with one tree, in this powerful and beautiful love letter to nature. From master wordsmith, Benjamin Zephaniah, comes a breathtaking new poem and story showing how trees offer us the perspective and connection to nature we crave in our daily lives. The final scene is an honest representation of the devastating effects of deforestation and urban development, encouraging all of us, everywhere, to 'leave the trees, please'.With resplendent illustrations from bestselling Melissa Castrillon, this book is both magnificent and timely.

Winner of the Margaret Mallett Award 2026Follow a little boy's friendship and journey with one tree, in this powerful and beautiful love letter to nature.From master wordsmith, Benjamin Zephaniah, comes a breathtaking new poem and story showing how trees offer us the perspective and connection to nature we crave in our daily lives. The final scene is an honest representation of the devastating effects of deforestation and urban development, encouraging all of us, everywhere, to 'leave the trees, please'.With resplendent illustrations from bestselling Melissa Castrillón, this book is both magnificent and timely. Also available in hardback.

A child and his beloved best friend go on a grand sea adventure in this magical picture book by the author and artist who created If I Had a Little Dream.You just never know what a new day will hold if you are brave enough to find out. On one quiet afternoon, a boy and his special friend’s unexpected adventure bring joy and excitement and sights never imagined. And the best part of any adventure is returning home with stories to tell and you best friend at your side.