Heidi Cooper Smith's childhood was filled with drawing and dreams of becoming an illustrator, but at university she fell in love with ceramics and spent the next 20 years elbow-deep in clay.
In 2014, she found herself with three children under four and joined an online illustration challenge during naptime to stay sane. Six months later, she was offered her first illustration contract and began writing soon after.
Kate and the Thing was Heidi’s first book as author-illustrator. She has also illustrated The Other Brother (Penny Jaye) and the Amanda Commander series (Coral Vass) for Wombat Books.
https://www.heidicoopersmith.com
Heidi's books with Rhiza Press include:
Books that she's illustrated with Rhiza Press include:
Amanda Commander: The Purple Invitation
Amanda Commander: The Pinky Promise
Amanda Commander: The Yellow Dress
Amanda Commander: The Blues Day Tuesday
Amanda Commander: The Green-Eyed Monster
Amanda Commander: The Great Orange Bake-Off
Amanda Commander: The Curly Red Ribbon (coming in November 2026)
The Other Brother
Aidan Versus the Ocean (coming in August 2026)