Malgosia Krol

Hello, I’m Malgosia and I write in pictures. I believe that we were all born to expand, not to shrink. That creative expression connects our individual lived experiences to the collective human experience; that storytelling is integral to our shared humanity; and art is a universal language that speaks to the worlds within us, granting us infinite access for growth.

With my storytelling I aim to guide readers to the unique magic within, by highlighting our collective human experience. My work is deeply steeped in my Polish heritage of storytellers, artists, traditional folklore, and continuously shaped by my own lived experiences; in order to provoke thought in the reader and inspire them to peel back the layers within their own life story.

It is important to me that my illustrations expand the narrative instead of only serving as an echo for the words, and that my own unique illustration style always carries an element of nostalgic simplicity, pops of bright colours, an emphasis on imperfection, and a focus on the process rather than the result. I use a combination of analogue and digital tools to illustrate; mainly working with ink, watercolour, charcoal, graphite and coloured pencils. Textures and patterns are important to me and I delight in using stamps, stencils, and found objects from nature.

Since embarking on this journey in 2010 and feeling encouraged by winning industry recognition and awards for my children's books, my continued focus is to make writing and illustrating my life’s work. It has been an adventure in trusting in the process and I’m excited to complete a graphic novel series for YA readers, along with five kid’s books planned for 2026, while the other 40 books patiently await their turn in the publishing queue.

When I’m not getting my hands dirty making marks on paper I can be found gardening with my hands in the dirt, or throwing mud on the pottery wheel, adventuring in nature with my family, or learning my fifth language - Spanish, of course!