Josée Masse is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of the American Girl book series, The Care and Keeping of You. For as long as she can remember, Josée has been drawing. She studied graphic arts in Montreal and worked as a graphic designer for 3 years before beginning her career as an illustrator. Josée’s strong sense of concept and design shows itself in her artwork. She loves illustrating books for children and enjoys the challenge of solving problems for her clients who have difficult concepts to convey. Her illustrations for What Ship is Not A Ship were exhibited in the Society of Illustrators Annual Art Show in 2014. She is the illustrator of Marilyn Singer’s critically-acclaimed picture book series of “reverso poems.” The first book, Mirror, Mirror earned Starred Reviews from SLJ and Booklist, was an ALA Notable Book, and made the NYPL’s, Washington Post’s, and Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of the Year Lists. The second book in the series, Follow, Follow, received numerous Starred Reviews and was one of Booklist’s 30 Best Books of the Year, a Cybils Award finalist, and an IRA Teachers’ Choices Reading List pick. Echo, Echo, the latest book in the series, is a Spring 2016 Kids’ Indie Next List Pick and received a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly.
Awards / Honors
- 2017 NYPL Best Books for Kids – Thunder Underground
- 2017 Bank Street’s Best Children’s Book of the Year – Echo, Echo
- 2016 NYPL Best Books for Kids – Echo, Echo
- 2016 SLJ’s Best of the Year, Nonfiction – Echo, Echo
- Spring 2016 Kids’ Indie Next List Pick – Echo, Echo
- 2015 Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Best Books for Kids & Teens – What Ship is Not A Ship?
- 2014, 2010 Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition
- 2013 Booklist, 30 Best Books of the Year – Follow, Follow
- 2013 Cybils Award Finalist – Follow, Follow
- 2013 IRA Teacher’s Choices Reading List pick – Follow, Follow
- 2012 The Land of Enchantment Award, Picture Books – Mirror, Mirror
- 2011 ALA Notable Book – Mirror, Mirror
- 2011 New York Public Library Best 100 Children’s Book of the Year – Mirror, Mirror
- 2011 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of the Year – Mirror, Mirror
- 2011 Booklist Editors Choice – Mirror, Mirror
- 2011 A Washington Post Top 15 Children’s Book of the Year – Mirror, Mirror
- 2011 A Horn Book Fanfare Book – Mirror, Mirror
- 2011 Land of Enchantment Book Award Winner – Mirror, Mirror
- 2011 Time Out New York Kids’ 50 Best Books for Kids – Mirror, Mirror
- 2010 Publishers Weekly’s Best Childrens Books – Mirror, Mirror
- 2010 Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books – Mirror, Mirror
- 2011 USA Book News Awards, Children’s Book Series – Frog and Friends
- 2007 TIME Magazine’s Top 10 Children’s Books – Motherbridge of Love