a little bit about me…

I’m Miriam. I’m a children’s book author, illustrator, and early childhood educator. I love to create, and I love to learn. I’ve been an artist for as long I can remember and started a little art company in 2013, called Calunica. I was born in Norway, and now I live in California with my husband and our daughter. She inspires me to create fun paintings and tell stories that encourage kids to be themselves. On most days you can find me in my studio sketching, painting and coming up with new characters. I also enjoy exploring nature trails and cooking with fresh eggs and vegetables from our garden.

Five Fun Facts about me:
  1. My grandma taught me to knit and sew when I was little, and now I make my own clothes.
  2. I live in an old goat barn. Don’t worry, it’s been renovated since the goats moved out!
  3. After university, I traveled around the world and even helped build a Clown’s village in Croatia!
  4. Before becoming a mom and artist, I was a preschool teacher and made a lot of alphabet themed art.
  5. I grew up in Norway, have lived in Vietnam and Australia, and moved to California in 1999.

bio

Miriam V. Plata is a children’s book author, illustrator and early childhood educator. She is also the creator of Calunica (est. 2013), a brand of groovy art and organic apparel. Her screen printed T-shirts, vintage style button pins and other funky creations are available in the Calunica online shop. As a mom, auntie and preschool teacher, Miriam is surrounded by kids that love art and books. They inspire her to write and illustrate fun inclusive children’s books. She grew up in Norway, and is now based on the Central Coast of California. She lives in an old goat barn 15 minutes from the beach with her husband and their daughter. They have thirteen chickens, and Miriam is writing a book about one of them, The Chicken that Needed Space. She studied anthropology, social sciences and geography at Cal Poly, as well as early childhood education. She loves science and learning about people and our planet. This sparked the idea for another upcoming book, Kuku the Kiki. Kuku is a little color loving alien that inspired his dull blue planet to be a whole lot brighter. Miriam makes her world more colorful too, through her vibrant artwork and brilliant storytelling.

headshots