I’m beyond thrilled to share that Dinosaurs Roamed Arizona!, authored by Elaine A. Powers and a book I had the honor of illustrating, has been awarded the 2025 Judy Goddard Award! It is an extraordinary honor that this book is now the winner of two exemplary awards, after being picked for Pima County Public Library’s Southwest Books of the Year 2025 earlier this year!
I was thrilled to be a part of this project, and to have my artwork recognized is a true honor. It is so humbling to know that my illustrations have helped bridge the gap between education and imagination. Being part of this project was a deeply rewarding experience – one that challenged me creatively and allowed me to explore my own love for both art and dinosaurs (long running love since childhood).
Before becoming an author, Elaine is a retired biologist, conservationist, stage performer, and passionate science communicator. With more than 25 children’s books under her belt, her stories are brimming with scientific wonder, many of them set right here in the American Southwest. Her latest honor, the Judy Goddard Award, is a well-deserved recognition of her incredible work making science fun and accessible for young readers.
Elaine’s storytelling blends factual science with rhythmic writing and thrilling adventure. As she puts it, “I have always loved science, but the musician in me loves rhythm and entertainment, so science needs to be fun. Thus, you will find science woven into adventure tales and rhyming stanzas, which have been shown to support cognitive development in children and grow their language skills.” That philosophy is on full display in Dinosaurs Roamed Arizona, a book that also won the 2025 Pima County Public Library’s Best Books of the Southwest.
Her books feature not only dinosaurs, but a whole parade of desert creatures: rattlesnakes, roadrunners, desert tortoises. Elaine’s connection to Arizona runs deep. Originally from Peoria, Illinois, she’s called Oro Valley home for the past 15 years and was the 2024 Summer Writer-in-Residence with the Pima County Public Library, mentoring up-and-coming writers.
About the Judy Goddard Award
This award is a prestigious Arizona tradition, created in 1983 by Libraries, Ltd. founder Judy Goddard, in partnership with the Arizona State Library Association. It honors authors and illustrators whose work celebrates the uniqueness of Arizona and the Southwest. Since 2019, one award is given annually for either children’s or young adult literature that demonstrates exceptional artistic or literary merit and highlights our region’s distinctive character.
Elaine A. Powers fits that description to a T. Her vibrant, science-rich storytelling helps children see the desert not as an empty landscape, but as a wild, fascinating place full of life, history, and discovery.
Congratulations, Elaine! I’m honored to have collaborated with you, and I can’t wait to see what creature or mystery we’ll bring to life next.
