Ruth Paul has written and illustrated 23 picture books and is a recipient of a New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate Award (August 2019).

Ruth’s most recent book, Cookie Boo, published by Harper Collins US in July 2020, has received a Kirkus starred review. Her books have also won a number of awards (see list below), and five of her books have made the Storylines Notable Book lists over the years. Her books have sold in New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, the UK, China and Korea, with translations in five languages. Ruth’s poetry is included in A Treasury of New Zealand Poems for Children, published by Penguin Random House NZ in 2014. Her original picture book illustrations contributed to touring exhibitions for Painted Stories (previously Te Tai Tamariki Trust) and two are held in the Mazza Collection at the University of Findlay, Ohio.

Ruth lives in an off-grid, straw-bale house on a farm just outside Wellington, New Zealand. As well as writing and illustrating children’s picture books, Ruth has worked as a costume illustrator for Peter Jackson movies. She has two teenage sons and is actively involved in her local community, having previously chaired her local Community Board and school Board of Trustees. Over the years, Ruth achieved a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and History from Victoria University, a Diploma in Visual Communication Design from Wellington Polytech (now Massey University), and most of a law degree.

Ruth says every new book is a challenge and presents the opportunity to get better at the craft she wholeheartedly loves.