Cathy Camper (born in 1956, in Madison, Wisconsin) is an Arab-American artist, librarian and author of books for children and teens. She wrote Bugs Before Time, illustrated by Steve Kirk, and the graphic novel series Lowriders in Space, illustrated by Raúl the Third. She has also exhibited seed art, entering work in the Minnesota State Fair's Crop Art show starting in 1989. Her portrait of James Brown was featured in Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People by Amy Sedaris.
After receiving a degree in library sciences, Camper worked as a librarian at the Minneapolis Public Library until 2005, at which point she moved to Portland, Oregon.
Awards and honors Two of Camper's books are Junior Library Guild selections: Lowriders in Space (2015) and Ten Ways to Hear Snow (2021). Kirkus Reviews and The Washington Post named Lowriders in Space one of the best middle grade books of 2014, and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books named it one of the best graphic novels of 2015. +Awards for Camper's writingYearTitleAwardResultRef.2015Lowriders in SpaceAméricas AwardCommendedALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection2016Lowriders to the Center of the EarthCybils Award for Elementary and Middle-Grade Graphic NovelWinnerVLA Graphic Novel Diversity Award for Youth Winner2017ALSC Notable Children's BooksSelectionAméricas AwardCommended2020Lowriders Blast from the PastOregon Book Award for Children's LiteratureWinner2023Lowriders to the RescueGolden Kite Award for Illustrated Book for Older ReadersFinalist
Publications
Standalone books
Bugs Before Time: Prehistoric Insects and Their Relatives, illustrated by Steve Kirk (2002, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, ) Ten Ways to Hear Snow, illustrated by Kenard Pak (2020, Kokila, ) Arab Arab All Year Long!, illustrated by Sawsan Chalabi (2022, Candlewick Press, )
Lowriders in Space series The Lowriders in Space series is illustrated by Raúl the Third and published by Chronicle Books.
Lowriders in Space (2014, ) Lowriders to the Center of the Earth (2016, ) Lowriders Blast from the Past (2018, ) Lowriders to the Rescue (202, )
References
External links Official website