Sunflower Seeds

Ellen Heck is a celebrated printmaker and award-winning picture book illustrator. With degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Brown University, she brings a unique blend of artistic skill and philosophical inquiry to her work.

For over a decade, Heck has explored themes of identity--its creation, variability, persistence, and change--through her printmaking projects, often combining subject matter with thematically resonant techniques. This deep engagement with metaphysics extends to her picture books, where she weaves searching narratives with exquisite visuals.

Her debut picture book, A is for Bee, inspired by reading Lithuanian alphabet books to her son, was named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times and Booklist. Heck also lent her artistic talent to Golden Gate: Building the Mighty Bridge by Elizabeth Partridge, an ALA Notable Children's Book and an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students.

Her newest picture book, Sunflower Seeds, takes young readers on an enchanting journey, following the life cycle of sunflowers from the perspective of a boy who notices magic in details. Ellen spent two years creating the illustrations for this book, using oil paint on brown paper to give the art a rich, brilliant warmth.

Heck has lived in eight different states but now calls North Carolina home, where she continues her work as a printmaker, represented by galleries in both the United States and the United Kingdom. When she's not creating, she enjoys reading children's books, poetry, and non-fiction, traveling, and spending time with her family.