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Daniel Miyares
Daniel

Miyares

Award Winning Children’s Author & Illustrator
Paper Boat Captain
Travels from: Kansas City, MO
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“[V]isually stunning and emotionally rich. . . . [Big and Small and In-Between] is designed to inspire conversation and reflection about what is depicted on each page.” ― School Library Journal, starred review

Daniel Miyares is a critically acclaimed picture book author and illustrator. Some of his books include: Float, Night Out, That is My Dream, and Bring Me A Rock!. Daniel has been called “…a master of visual storytelling” by Jody Hewston of Kinderlit, and “…enchanting, versatile” by The New York Times. He believes that our stories have the power to connect us all. Daniel’s story currently takes place in Lenexa, KS with his wife, their two wonderful children, and a dog named Violet that gives them all a run for their money. His most recent books include the Newbery Honor Award Winner, The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams (March 2023) and Sometimes I Cry (September 2023), How To Say Goodbye in Cuban (2025), You Can Move Mountains: The Artful Life of Painter Bob Ross (2026), and Homesick (2026).

Daniel Miyares
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Daniel's Featured Titles

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Homesick

Neal Porter Books |
Children’s

School’s First Day of School meets The Little House in this innovative and heartfelt take on a child’s first time sleeping away from home.

Poppy can’t wait to sleep over at G-Pa and Mimi’s house for the first time ever. She’ll bake bread and gather pinecones and read all the books on their shelves.

But Home? Home feels sick with missing her! Everything is hushed and empty without Poppy. Can Home find distractions to occupy the time until she comes back? And with all the fun she’s having, will Poppy start to miss Home, too?

Seasoned children’s book creators Liz Garton Scanlon, Audrey Vernick, and Daniel Miyares bring threefold brilliance to Homesick, an unforgettable flip on the script of a timeless childhood milestone. Young readers with mixed feelings about being away from home with find soothing levity on each page.

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You Can Move Mountains: The Artful Life of Painter Bob Ross

Roaring Brook Press |
Children’s

A gorgeous picture book about the influential American painter Bob Ross and his timeless words of wisdom, by award-winning creators Richard Ho and Daniel Miyares.

A blank canvas is your world. A limitless sky. A new horizon. You are the creator, adding blotches of blue and circular strokes of white.

You might not like it at first. You might call it a mistake. But there are no mistakes…only happy accidents. For you are experiencing the joys of painting.

You Can Move Mountains is a touching picture book biography about the American artist and icon Bob Ross, the joys of painting and creativity, and the life lessons we can learn from a blank canvas.

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How to Say Goodbye in Cuban

Anne Schwartz Books |
Graphic Novel

Here is the dramatic coming-of-age graphic novel memoir of 12-year-old Carlos (who would grow up to become the author’s father), his life during the Cuban Revolution, and his family’s harrowing escape to America.

Carlos, who lives in a small town in the Cuban countryside, loves to play baseball with his best friend, Alvaro, and to shoot home-made slingshots with his abuelo.

One day, a miracle happens: Carlos’ father, his papi, wins the lottery! He uses the money to launch his own furniture business and to move the family to a big house in the city.

Carlos hates having to move — hates leaving Abuelo and Alvaro behind — and hates being called country kid at his new school. But the pains of moving and middle school turn out to be the least of his problems.

When rebel leader Fidel Castro overthrows the existing Cuban president, the entire country is thrust into revolution. Then, suddenly, Papi disappears. Carlos’ mother tells him that Papi has gone to America, and that they will soon join him. But Carlos really doesn’t want to leave Cuba, the only home he’s ever known. Besides, how will they get to America when Castro’s soldiers are policing their every move? Will Carlos ever see his father again?

This powerful book about a boy coming of age amid massive political upheaval tells a timeless story of one family’s quest for freedom and for a new place to call home.

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Sometimes I Cry

Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) |
Children’s

From Jess Townes with illustrations by Daniel Miyares, this poignant picture book deftly tackles the wide array of emotions experienced in childhood, and especially reminding readers that there’s nothing wrong with crying.

Sometimes I cry
. . . when I’m angry.
. . . when I’m scared.
. . . when I’m happy.

There are all sorts of feelings that can make us cry―from disappointment to joy, from grief to love. Sometimes I Cry offers a gentle and necessary affirmation of the emotional complexity of growing up. Powerful, poignant, and universally relevant, it is a triumph for readers of any age.

Sometimes I cry.
And that’s okay.

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The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams: Newbery Honor Award Winner

Levine Querido |
Children’s

NEWBERY HONOR AWARD WINNER

BEST OF THE YEAR:
NPR – Booklist – School Library Journal – Chicago Public Library – Evanston Public Library – Kirkus – Wall Street Journal

The Silk Road comes to life in this picaresque epic adventure with twists and turns and a wonderful surprise ending from Printz Medalist Daniel Nayeri

This is the tale of an exciting journey along the Silk Road with a young Monk and his newfound guardian, Samir, a larger than life character and the so-called “Seller of Dreams”. The man is a scammer; his biggest skill being the ability to talk his way into getting what he wants. While that talking did save Monkey’s life, it has left a lot of people furious with Samir— furious enough to hire assassins. Monkey decides to try and save Samir from the attempts on his life—as a way to pay off his debt! If he can save Samir six times, he’ll be a free man…but will they all survive that long?

Fans of Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and The Sea of Stories and The Little Prince will fall in love with the bond between Monkey and Samir—in this swashbuckling all-ages page-turner from national bestseller Daniel Nayeri and featuring full-color illustrations from Daniel Miyares.

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Daniel Miyares

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Nell Plants a Tree

Balzer + Bray |
Children’s

This stunning, poetic picture book shows how one little girl’s careful tending of a pecan tree creates the living center of a loving, intergenerational Black family.

Before her grandchildren climbed the towering tree,

explored its secret nests,

raced to its sturdy trunk,

read in its cool shade,

or made pies with its pecans . . .

Nell buried a seed.

And just as, with Nell’s love and care, her tree grows and thrives—so do generations of her close-knit family.

Inspired by the pecan trees of her own childhood, Anne Wynter’s lyrical picture book, brought to life with gorgeous illustrations by Daniel Miyares, brims with wonder and love.

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Daniel Miyares

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Big and Small and In-Between

Chronicle Books |
Children’s
You Are (Not) Small meets The Quiet Book in this beautiful compilation of all the little things that make up our big world.

This wide, wonderful world contains many things. Some things are as big as a family of bears; some are as small as a reflection in a puddle. Some things are felt rather than seen.

In between it all is . . . you. What kinds of things will you collect?

This lovely, lyrical book collects the world by size. Divided into three chapters with three specially paper-engineered separations, every page encapsulates one precious moment that perfectly represents both a size and an experience. Beloved author Carter Higgins’s poignant, poetic text and Daniel Miyares’s incandescent illustrations capture a whole new way of seeing the world in this beautiful, giftable meditation on what it means to be a kid-and what it means to be a human.

A GIFT FOR ALL: This book expresses a genuine love for the world in a sincere, observant way. The author’s imagination and the illustrator’s keen eyes make it a perfect choice for anyone seeking a gorgeous gift that celebrates the wonder of our world, whether between parents and kids, between grandparents and grandchildren, or even between friends.

SPECIAL CONCEPT: Every child learns about size, usually through nonfiction. This book makes the concept of size personal and emotional, something that changes how you feel in any given situation.

CLASSIC LITERATURE: Fans of A Hole is to Dig or A Tree is Nice will recognize the inspiration of classic literature and the timeless quality of this special text.

THOUGHT-PROVOKING IDEA: This book will change the way every kid encounters the world. Is their room smaller than their parents’ or bigger than a mouse’s? Is a rock a big hill for an ant or a small pebble for a bear? The mix of poetic and practical in this text makes every life experience worth investigating both from far away and with a microscope.

BELOVED AUTHOR: Carter Higgins is the author of many favorite books for kids, including the bestseller Everything You Need for a Treehouse, illustrated by Emily Hughes; Circle Under Berry, which she illustrated herself; and Audrey L and Audrey W, a chapter book series.

Perfect for:

• Fans of Ruth Krauss
• Fans of Margaret Wise Brown
• Fans of classic children’s literature
• Educators looking for a new way to teach the concept of size
• Parents and grandparents

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Daniel Miyares

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Come Next Season

Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) |
Children’s

Winner of the Northern Lights Nature Award

A gorgeous picture book that celebrates the magic of the seasons and the joys of family.

Come next season . . .
The lake will sparkle.
The leaves will fall from the trees.
We’ll play all day in the snow.
We’ll visit the farm—and maybe make a friend.

Every season is full of its own magic, every change brings new excitement, and every experience is better when it’s shared. With poetic text from bestselling author Kim Norman, brought to life by critically acclaimed illustrator Daniel Miyares, Come Next Season is a celebration of nature, adventure, and family—all year round.

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Daniel Miyares

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Bambino and Mr. Twain

Charlesbridge |
Children’s

LOST
Mark Twain’s Cat

After the death of his beloved wife, Samuel Clemens—known to his fans as Mark Twain—holed himself up in his house, too sad to face the outside world. His constant companion in his grief was Bambino, his daughter Clara’s cat. Despite the pleas of his daughter Jean and the well wishes of his friends and admirers, Sam could not find joy in life. His only peace was in the moments he spent with the curious cat.

Then one day Bambino got out of the house to chase a squirrel and didn’t come back. Distraught, Sam placed an ad in the newspaper offering a reward for Bambino’s return. Many people with many cats came to his door. The world wanted to cheer up Mark Twain. No cat but Bambino could console the great writer, however.

Rich, luminous illustrations highlight this friendship of a man and his cat in a time of great sorrow and through his healing. Nothing compares to the solace of a pet.

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Daniel Miyares

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Little Fox in the Snow

Candlewick |
Children’s

Follow a young red fox on a snowy day in this striking glimpse of woodland life in winter from Jonathan London and Daniel Miyares.

Little foxling, where will you go?
A red fox emerges from its burrow one wintry morning, a fiery streak against stark white surroundings, driven by hunger and curiosity to investigate its world. Encountering a mouse, a hare, and a wolverine, the little fox takes on the role of both hunter and hunted before returning to the safety of its den, where — perhaps — it dreams of something more. Jonathan London’s poetic text and Daniel Miyares’s stunning impressionistic paintings provide an evocative portrait of a fox and its place in the natural world.

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Growing Picture Book Visual Literacy

Picture Books, Graphic Novels, and illustrated novels are rooted in visual storytelling. At their best, they strike a delicate but powerful balance between visuals and the written word. It’s what makes them such unique literary forms and why we can learn so much by decoding them. In this workshop we take a look at the structures and concepts that are the building blocks of these types of books. I believe that as our understanding of the visual language increases, so does our ability to understand an author’s intent in a nuanced way.

Who is this workshop for? For educators, bookmakers, students, or anyone who wants to grow their visual literacy through books.

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Simple Story Building Project

In this workshop, Daniel walks students through the process of building the core of a strong and engaging picture book story. They create three sentences and three visuals to tell their story. We focus on answering the three biggest questions one needs to answer to make a compelling story: (1) who is this about and what is their problem? (2) what do they do about theat problem? and (3) how is their world different because of what they did? This is essentially the process he goes through with all of his books, just on a larger scale. This works for a variety of age groups.

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Character Development Activity

Students use drawings to develop fictional characters and define who they are and what might be the beginning of their story. Daniel takes them through a progressive brainstorm to show how to build characters the reader can emotionally connect to.

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Shape Animals

This is a fun exercise where Daniel takes students through simple basic shapes and turns them into a menagerie of imagined animals. The students are encouraged to rely on their imaginations to not draw what things are, but rather what things feel like.

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Script It

Daniel has students make a great backdrop to write their own stories while responding to his visual narrative. They focus more in-depth on the structure of a story and how words and images can play together to tell a compelling tale.

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Larger Group Assemblies

Daniel tailors his assemblies and large group presentations to his audience, speaking on topics such as how he started with an interest in art and storytelling as a child and how that led to a career as an author/illustrator; what an author/illustrator; does; the importance or reading and the essential building blocks of a story; his creative process, sketches to finished books; book readings; live interactive drawing/painting demonstrations, the final art product of which he leaves behind for the school.

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Honors, Awards & Recognition

Newbery Honor Award Winner
Best Book of the Year by NPR, Booklist, School Library Journal, Chicago Public Library, Evanston Public Library, Kirkus and Wall Street Journal
Greenville County Schools Hall of Fame Inductee 2024
Texas Great Read choice, 2023
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee
ALA Notable Children’s Books
CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children’s Book Council)
Kansas NEA Reading Circle List Primary Title
NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee (IN)
Georgia Children’s Picture Book Award Finalist
Chickadee Award Nominee (ME)
Wisconsin State Reading Association’s Reading List
Society of Illustrators Original Art Show Silver Medal, 2016
Buckaroo Book Award Nominee (WY)
Kansas Notable Book
South Carolina Picture Book Award Nominee
MSTA Reading Circle List

Media clips

Publishers Weekly | Q & A with Daniel Miyares 

 

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.

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