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A native of Mexico City, Felipe Dávalos has long been involved with visual communication projects through his work as regular contributor to major newspapers and to magazines such as the National Geographic. His experience researching the visual and symbolic languages of pre-Columbian cultures (Teotihuacan, Olmecs, Mayas, Mixtecs and Aztecs) informs most of his work.

He is the illustrator of numerous books for children, including Secret Stars, winner of the 2000 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Award.

He lives in Sacramento, California, with his wife, AnaLilia and two children, Ximena and Dante.
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Q&A

Do you have a favorite painting technique?

I usually use a variety of painting media: graphite, color pencils, pastel, oil or tempera, but I tend to favor water mediums on stretched paper: color inks, water color and acrylics. Acrylic, a fairly young technique, is a very versatile medium that allows me to find visual solutions to a wide range of themes.

Is the process of illustrating children's poetry different from illustrating stories?

Different subject matters require different solutions. Sometimes my illustrations turn out to be an almost literal interpretation of the text. Other times, the realistic approach gives way to a more imaginative interpretation, like in the case of poetry texts, for instance. Illustrating poetry is always a magical experience. There is more freedom to play with the word-image relationship.

Any new books coming out in 2008?

I am currently writing and illustrating a book called The Colors of Bonampak, about the way the Mayans used color to preserve and transmit their knowledge. I am also in the process of illustrating a book by Adriana Martinez called Los Ojos de Maria (Maria's Eyes), for a Mexican publishing company.

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Illustrated by Felipe Dávalos:

written by Susan Middleton Elya,
Home at Last
(Lee & Low Books, 2003)

written by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy
Poetry/Poemas
(Colleccion Puertas al Sol, Santillana USA, 2001)

written by Mark Harshman,
All the Way to Morning
(Marshall Cavendish, 1999)

written by Joseph Slate,
Secret Stars
(Marshall Cavendish,1998)
Pura Belpré Honor Book

written by Lee Wardlaw,
Punia and the king of Sharks: A Hawaiian Folktale
(Dial Books for Young Readers, 1997)

written by Alma Flor Ada,
The Lizard and the Sun / La Lagartija y el Sol
(Doubleday Book for young Readers, 1997)
Gold Medal NAPPA - National Parenting Publications Association

His illustrations have also appeared in other books, including:

written by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isable Campoy, illustrated by various
Pimpón
(Colleccion Puertas al Sol, Santillana USA, 1997)

written by Arturo Curiel Ballesteros,
Del Cacao al Dollar
(USA Consulate for Mexican Readers, 2007)

retold by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, illustrated by various,
Tales our Abuelitas Told - A Hispanic Folktale Collection
(Atheneum, 2006)

For more information, visit
his website.

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