Acclaimed illustrator Raul Colón grew up in Puerto Rico with a family that loved to dance. His lively childhood memories are often an inspiration for his work, and his style is one that has become highly recognized and sought-after.

He is the illustrator mostly recently
of Doña Flor, by Pat Mora (Knopf, 2005), awarded the 2006 Pura Belpré Medal for Illustration. His prize-winning work includes: Tomás and the Library Lady, by Pat Mora (Knopf, 1997), winner of the Tomás Rivera Award; My Mama Had A Dancing Heart, by Libba Moore Gray (Scholastic, 1999), a New York Times Best Illustrated Book; and A Band of Angels (Simon & Schuster, 1999), by Deborah Hopkinson, winner of the Golden Kite Award.

He lives in New York.
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About illustrating Tomás and the Library Lady:

"Illustrating Tomás and the Library Lady was simply fun. I looked at a lot of the Mexican muralists' work, such as Diego Rivera's and Siqueiros's. They simplified form, and I tried to work that into my illustrations.

Most of my work involves a lot of research, and frequent visits to my local libraries are a big part of the research process. All those murals I studied were from books I found at the library. I've always loved going to the art section and learning about the famous artists. I've been doing it since I was a child".