I’m Jess Stiles.
I may not have a fancy degree, but my art comes from a place where imagination spills out—messy, magical, and entirely mine.
I’m a French-Canadian author-illustrator with a decade of storytelling tucked into my sleeves. I’ve sold art and photography to corners of the world I’ve never visited, and have helped bring children’s books to life as a KidLit manuscript editor and ghostwriter (shhh… the ghosts like their privacy).
As a kid, I loathed the idea of sitting still and quietly reading a book; nothing piqued my interest, and I wasn’t exposed to the kinds of books that make one fall in love with reading. So, I’d dream up my own adventures and doodled like it was a sport. Now, I get to create the kinds of stories I once searched for—ones filled with wonder, laughter, and characters who cheer each other on just for being themselves.
Every piece I make carries a bit of that wild, self-taught spirit. I learned by chasing the ideas that tugged at me the hardest, filling sketchbooks, and trusting that curiosity knows the way. As a mama, I believe art has the power to spark courage and help little readers feel seen in all their glorious weirdness. And honestly? There’s no greater joy than making something a child will hold close—sticky fingers, giggles, crinkled pages and all.