Jiarui Jiang is an illustrator and storyteller based in China. She recently graduated with distinction from the MA Children's Book Illustration programme at the Cambridge School of Art.

Before pursuing picture book creation, Jiarui studied animation for four years in China and South Korea. During that time, she realised that she was more drawn to creating still images and visual narratives than to animation. She went on to earn an MA in Illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art, where she discovered her passion for children's books and published her first picture book a year after graduation. Since then, she has never stopped writing stories and creating illustrations for children.

She loves working with rich, vibrant colours to create stories inspired by life under the sun — vines, seedlings, insects, flowers, soil, children and laughter.

Awards:

2026

Macmillan Prize for Illustration - Highly Commended

The Sebastian Walker Award - Highly Commended

BIBF International Illustration - Longlisted

Chen Bochui Children’s Literature Picture Book&Illustration Award - Finalist

2023

Hiii Illustration International Illustration Competition

3X3 Illustration Show

iJungle Illustration Awards

Published Books:

BEST BUDS (Margaret K. McElderry Books,2025)

Pebble without a Cause(Yeehoo Press,2024)

Dig In!(HarperCollins Publishers ,2024)

Our Alley (Oxford University Press, 2024)

Peng and the Poor Little Seed (Benchmark Education, 2024)

Mei’s Roof Garden (Oxford University Press, 2024)