A Diverse group of award-winning illustrators & authors creating across many industries.
Michael Slack

Agent: Lori Nowicki

Hi there. It’s me, Michael Slack, the super serious author-illustrator of many children’s books and other cool stuff for kids and adults.

Contemporary art, animation and modernist design inform my style, but it is humor, playfulness and a love of quirky characters that are the heart of my illustration.

When I’m not working on illustration projects, I like to paint, draw and dabble in electronic music. Recently I’ve been enjoying creating ceramic art figures.

Client List

Chronicle
Penguin Random House
Henry Holt
Candlewick
Clarion Books
Harper Collins
Disney-Hyperion
Bloomsbury
Simon & Schuster
Blue Apple
Green Willow
Aardman
Running Press
TBWA – London
Merck & Co.
Nickelodeon
Noggin
Disney Television Animation
New York Times
PC World
Time Magazine
Boston Globe

Awards / Honors

  • 2022 BookTrust Great Books Guide – Dinosaurs on Kitten Island
  • 2021 Redbud Read Aloud Master List – Nugget and Fang Go to School
  • 2021 Today.com Best Gifts for 2 Year Olds – Over, Bear! Under, Where?
  • 2016 Texas 2×2 Reading List – Race Car Count
  • Amazon’s Best Book of the Month for November, 2015
  • Top pick in Sunday Times Best Ever 500 app list for Scruffy Kitty, 2011 (UK)
  • Winner of Kirkus App Reviews Gold Star Editor’s Rating, 2011 (USA)
  • 3X3 Illustration Annual No. 8, 3 illustrations, 2011
  • Communication Arts Illustration Annual, 2009
  • ADDY’s “Best of Show” Award, 2009
  • ADDY’s “People’s Choice” Award, 2009
  • American Society of Business Publication Editors Gold Award, 2007
  • Society of Illustrators Los Angeles Bronze Award in Children’s Division
  • Altpick Award: Alternative Pick, 2003
  • Applied Arts: Digital Category
  • Xeric Foundation self publishing grant

Reviews

Praise for Turtle Tug to the Rescue

“Slack’s rhymes play into the tension...and the pictures may be the best in the series.”

Publishers Weekly
Praise for Turtle Tug to the Rescue

“A role model for all, levelheaded Turtle Tug keeps his cool even in times of danger. ”

Kirkus
Praise for Shorty and Clem

“Slack renders both roomies and the simple speech-balloon dialogue...with blocky minimalism, comically contrasting Clem’s steady, grave air with Shorty’s exaggerated gestures and broad emotions...A funny, sympathetic read. ”

Kirkus
Praise for Turtle Tug to the Rescue

“Slack’s rhyming lines grow more urgent with the change in weather, echoing the escalating chaos in the colorful, richly textured artwork. Little ones will cheer on charming Turtle Tug in this story that playfully emphasizes perseverance, bravery, and togetherness. ”

Booklist
Praise for Pirasaurs!

“Angular and toothily aggressive depictions of the pirasaur crew bring the digital cartoons to life...A rip-roaring read-aloud for storytime or small group sharing.”

The School Library Journal
Praise for Pirasaurs!

“Slack’s...richly textured digital artwork may, in this context, bring to mind images painted on a ship’s deck. His hero is adorable and appropriately child-like, while the toothy, bug-eyed crew is fiercely funny.”

Publisher's Weekly
Praise for Race Car Count

“Engaging racetrack dramas unfold in Slack’s dynamic digital illustrations.”

Booklist
Praise for Elecopter

“Slack reprises the formula he used in 2011's Monkey Truck to equally raucous effect, creating a hybrid elephant/helicopter who patrols the savannah. Giggle-inducing humor and nail-biting action are also part of the equation...”

Publishers Weekly
Praise for Monkey Truck

“Slack’s choppy, rhyming text is propelled by sound effects and exclamations that enhance the book’s read-aloud appeal…A slight yet spirited romp.”

Publishers Weekly
Praise for Monkey Truck

“Slack’s digitally rendered artwork is abundant with enjoyable texture and detail, and the jungle citizens are remarkably expressive.”

BCCB
Praise for Monkey Truck

“The artwork is great, colorful and elaborated with lots of details that are fun to talk about during storytime. All told, it’s a darned fun storytime treat.”

Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing.com
Praise for Edgar Allan Poe's Pie

“Slack's bug-eyed caricatures are an exuberant complement to Lewis's delightfully offbeat union of poetry and math.”

Publishers Weekly
Praise for Edgar Allan Poe's Pie

“Slack's digital illustrations match the whimsy and fun of the poems, the tongue-in-cheek humor in full gear.”

Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Scruffy Kitty

“A muted blue background emphasizes the softness of the nighttime setting, while the spiky illustrations convey Scruffy Kitty's energy.”

Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Pass It On

“Sadler's approach to the game is humorous and artful... Slack's accompanying artwork crackles with energy and color, and the barnyard creatures have a high degree of personality.”

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Pass It On

“Each message is escalated into greater heights - or depths - of absurdity, gleefully depicted in Slack's retro Tibor Gergely-style illustrations.”

The New York Times
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Featured Portfolio

Authored Books

Dinosaurs on Kitty Island (Dial Books)
Kitties on Dinosaurs (Dial Books)
I Take Care of My Puppy (Chronicle Books)
I Take Care of My Kitten (Chronicle Books)
The Sun Shines on the Jungle (Candlewick)
The Sun Shines on the Sea (Candlewick Press)
Dragon Meets Boy (Macmillan)
House (Chronicle Books)
Standroid & Dandroid: Sharing Does Not Compute (Little Simon)
Standroid & Dandroid Make A Mess (Little Simon)
Bunny Built (Henry Holt & Co)
Shorty and Clem (HarperCollins)
Shorty & Clem Blast Off! (HarperCollins)
Turtle Tug to the Rescue (Henry Holt & Co)
Elecopter (Henry Holt & Co.)
Monkey Truck (Henry Holt & Co.)
Wazdot? (Disney-Hyperion)
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Illustrated Books

Over, Bear! Under, Where? (Philomel Books)
Nugget & Fang Go to School (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Nugget & Fang (Houghton Mifflin)
Truth or Lie: Dogs!
Truth or Lie: Cats! (Random House Books for Young Readers)
Truth or Lie: Presidents! (Random House Books for Young Readers)
Truth or Lie: Sharks! (Random House Books for Young Readers)
Truth or Lie: Dinosaurs! (Random House Books for Young Readers)
Truth or Lie: Inventors (Random House Books for Young Readers)
Pirasuars! (Orchard)
Race Car Count (Henry Holt)
Pass It On! (Blue Apple Books)
How Do You Burp in Space? (Bloomsbury)
Edgar Allan Poe's Pie (Harcourt Children's Books)
My Life As a Chicken (Harcourt Children's Books)
Scapegoat (Bloomsbury)
Knuckle Heads (Chronicle Books)
The Flim-Flam Fairies (Running Press Kids)
Monster Drawing Machine (Klutz)
Wild Sudoku (St. Martin's Press)
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Videos

Kitties on Dinosaurs song video
Dragon Meets Boy Book Trailer
Standroid & Dandroid: Making a Mess is Fun
Wazdot?
Monkey Truck
Scruffy Kitty
Hogle Zoo Lights
Knuckleheads
ICK, The Game
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Products

ICK! Board game (Chronicle)
Alien Cafe game (Djeco)
SpidMonsters Board game (Djeco)
Floor puzzle (Crocodile Creek)
Floor puzzle (Crocodile Creek)
Lunchbox (Crocodile Creek)
Floor puzzle (Crocodile Creek)
Water bottle (Crocodile Creek)
Backpack (Crocodile Creek)
Soccer ball (Crocodile Creek)
Watch (Crocodile Creek)
Floor puzzle (Crocodile Creek)
Floor puzzle (Crocodile Creek)
Dinosaur magnetic set (Galison/Mudpuppy)
Garage Playset (Galison/Mudpuppy)
Chet the Cat Play Set (Educational Insights)
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