Dr. Mira Reisberg is on a mission: helping aspiring writers and illustrators break into the world of children’s books.

Mira has always loved reading, writing, and creating beautiful art. Speaking of her childhood in Melbourne, Australia, Mira recalls, I drew constantly, sometimes using my drawings to make sense of things that were difficult and other times drawing to escape into a beautiful world of my own creation.

As a young woman, Mira moved to the United States, first pursuing an undergraduate degree in graphic design, then an MFA in painting and digital arts. During this time she began illustrating and writing her own books. She also undertook freelance work for Children’s Book Press (now a division of Lee & Low Books), working as an editor, designer, and art director. 

Mira subsequently taught undergraduate and graduate level courses in children's literature and children's book making, art, and environmental education at UC Berkeley and San Francisco City College Extensions. She also earned her Ph.D. in Education and Cultural Studies, with a focus on children’s literature. 

Mira continued to explore and study all aspects of children’s books, gaining “cover-to-cover” experience. Besides authoring and illustrating her own award-winning books, besides university teaching, Mira spent time as an agent, and an acquiring editor, and an art director. 

In 2010, determined to provide her students with intensive support, Mira founded the Picture Book Academy, now the Children’s Book Academy, to encompass all areas of KidLit. In addition to her own expert instruction, Mira enlists experts from the industry to conduct workshops or provide office hours wherein they answer students’ questions directly. Her special annual Mentorship program includes “GOLDEN TICKET” opportunities to pitch directly to these experts. 

To date, former Mira's hard-working students have published nearly 1,500 books and won nearly every major North American award. Grateful students refer to her as “The Picture Book Whisperer,” “The Kidlit Midwife,” and “Miracle Mira.”