Biography
Elina was born in Ukraine and never in a million years thought that she would end up in Cambridge, UK, illustrating books for children. In fact, Elina had a degree in economics and was determined to be a business lady. But life decided differently, and Elina’s passion for drawing won out over her passion for economics.#Recently, Elina graduated with an MA in children’s book illustration from Anglia Ruskin University. She has also won a couple of prestigious competitions, including the Macmillan Prize 2017 for the best picture book.#Now Elina dedicates all her time and efforts to imagining stories and drawing pictures. She works both digitally and using traditional media. She creates her own books and illustrates books for others. For her, there is no greater reward than knowing that her stories and drawings make people smile.~Instagram: @elinaellis~Facebook: @elina.ellis
Awards
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Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind
2024 - 2023-2024 Chickadee Award, Maine Association of School Libraries, Short-listed
2024 - Great Lakes Great Books Award; K – 1 category, Michigan Reading Association, Short-listed
2024 - Kids’ Indie Next List, American Booksellers Organization, Winner
2024 - Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award, Washington Library Association School Division (WLA), Short-listed
2023 - 2023-2024 Kentucky Bluegrass Award K-2, Kentucky Association of School Librarians (KASL), Short-listed
2023 - 2023-2024 Picture Book of the Year, Surrey Schools, Short-listed
2023 - 2023-2024 Sunshine State Young Readers Award Jr., Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME), Short-listed
2023 - Willow Awards, Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards, Short-listed
2022 - Best Books for Kids and Teens, starred selection, The Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC), Joint winner
2022 - Gold Standard, Junior Library Guild,
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The Reptile Club
2020 - Blue Spruce Award, Ontario Library Association, Commended
2019 - Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre, Winner
2019 - Shining Willow Award, Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Awards, Short-listed
2018 - OLA Best Bets, Ontario Library Association, Winner
2018 - The Globe 100: Favourite Books of 2018, The Globe and Mail, Commended
Non-fiction
But Where Do Sea Turtles Live?, 2025
Is This a Tiger?, 2024
Have You Seen an Elephant?, 2024Picture Books
Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind, 2022
This Is the Path the Wolf Took, 2020
The Reptile Club, 2018