By Rachel Rosenberg
It isn’t every day that your debut makes it onto the New York Times Best Sellers List, but that is exactly what happened to Derek Desierto. In the Vancouver-based illustrator’s first picture book, Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes, he collaborated with Eva Chen, head of fashion partnerships at Instagram and former editor-in-chief of Lucky. That would be a big deal for any debut illustrator, and Desierto’s collage art is a fitting embodiment for Chen’s popular heroine Juno. The pairs’ follow up, A is for Awesome, is a board book filled with feminist icons, and the simple text really showcases Derek’s unique, vibrant style.