Michaela Goade

Growing up in Juneau, Alaska, Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade, an enrolled member of the Tlingit Nation of Alaska, has always felt at home in the outdoors. Today, her books invite readers to experience this vivid connection with the outdoors in a truly immersive way.

Michaela blends traditional and digital techniques in her art, starting with mixed media—such as watercolor, colored pencils, gouache, or pastel—and then refining each piece digitally. Her thoughtful process creates illustrations celebrated for their dreamlike detail, rich layering, and scenic wonder.

Her first published work, Shanyaak’utlaax: Salmon Boy, based on a Tlingit tale, helped launch a children’s book program for the nonprofit Sealaska Heritage Institute. A few years later, her illustrations for We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom—a powerful story about Indigenous communities resisting pipeline construction on tribal lands—earned her the 2021 Caldecott Medal. Michaela's award success continued with Berry Song, her first work as author-illustrator, which received a 2023 Caldecott Honor.

When Michaela isn’t creating art in her home studio in Sitka, Alaska, she can be found camping and hiking with her dogs and partner, foraging for traditional foods like berries and seaweed, or getting cozy at home with a good book or recipe.