Brian Karas has been an artist, storyteller, and a daydreamer since early childhood.

When Brian was in the first grade he performed puppet shows for kindergarteners, a role he assumed for himself (thanks to his accommodating teachers).

In the 2nd and 3rd grades he became known for his drawing skills and was designated the class artist. He was behind many backdrops for school plays, and murals and posters were his forte. He was quite good at mimicking the art of Peanuts by Charles Schultz and it was then that he remembers feeling a kind of calling. Telling stories with pictures would be his medium.

He went on to study at the Paier School of Art in Hamden CT and upon graduating found himself employed at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City as a greeting card artist in their humorous department. Three years later he moved back to New York and began illustrating picture books, which he has been doing ever since. 

Brian has illustrated more than 100 books for children, including the Mr. Tiffin’s Classroom series by Margaret McNamara: A Poem in Your Pocket, How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?, and The Apple Orchard Riddle. He also illustrated A Hat for Mrs. Goldman by Michelle Edwards; Neville by Norton Juster; Clever Jack Takes the Cake by Candace Fleming, which received four starred reviews; Are You Going to Be Good? by Cari Best, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book; and Home on the Bayou, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book.

He lives in the Hudson Valley of New York and you can visit him at www.gbriankaras.com.