Kayla Ladeinde
Illustrator
Kayla Ladeinde fell in love with storybooks at a young age. When she was six years old and her grandpa asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, her response was instant and enthusiastic: “an author!” Later she pulled him aside to add “artist” to that future. Not much has changed over the years. With a major in Fine Art and minor in Creative Writing from Western Washington University, she has continued to pursue her dream of writing and illustrating kids’ books. In 2015, she co-founded a small business called Thingamatink, a Kickstarter-based project that paired storytelling with play, and in 2016 she self-published her first picture book of the same name, The Thingamatink.
Kayla’s passion is exploring the way written and visual communication intersect to create something new, similar to an instrumental harmony. She is particularly interested in stories that speak to kids’ emotional and social development. She lives in Pittsburg, CA with her husband and son, and whenever she isn’t painting or working, she can usually be found on a ladder with tools in hand, busting out a new home DIY remodel project.