Katherine Ahmed was born and raised in New York and earned a BA degree in history and illustration at Eugene Lang College at The New School. In 2021, she was awarded the We Need Diverse Books Illustration Mentorship. Her c
lients include DK, Kids Can Press, Rebel Girls, Room to Read and Cricket Magazine. She lives on the East Coast with her husband and two daughters.
For book inquiries, please contact her agent Jennifer Rofé of Andrea Brown Literary Agency: jennifer@andreabrownlit.com
All other inquiries, including magazines, please email her at: katherineahmedart@gmail.com
Instagram: @katherineahmed
Announcements
COVER REVEAL!
For Always Friends
by Tootie Nienow, illustrated by Katherine Ahmed
When a new neighbor becomes a best friend, everything feels perfect—until a few hurtful words put that friendship at risk. For Always Friends? is a tender, relatable story about finding a best friend, making mistakes, and learning how true friendships grow stronger through kindness and forgiveness.
I watch your moving truck and dream.
I hope you’re coming to meet me.
Two boys, both lonely, just know there’s a new friend around the corner. In the moment it takes to knock on a door, the boys simultaneously imagine a bond to last forever. Back-and-forth dialogue brings to life a future full of bike rides, hideouts, secret codes, and handshakes. Time passes, the friends side-by-side, until . . .
Buddies make mistakes. Mean words can hurt. But best friends learn to navigate the ups and downs of a lasting friendship.
Poetic text and vibrant illustrations reveal how dreams can blossom into reality. Together, the boys manifest a friendship rooted in joy, kindness, and forgiveness . . . for always.
COMING SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2026!
BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT
For Always Friends
by Tootie Nienow, illustrated by Katherine Ahmed
Heidi Hill at Blue Dot Kids Press has bought world rights to For Always Friends by Tootie Nienow (l.) (There Goes Patti McGee!), illustrated by Katherine Ahmed, a picture book told in two voices about the dreams of new friendship and what it takes to be a good friend. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Katie Erickson at Jennifer De Chiara Agency represented the author, and Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Lion on the Inside was on CBS News Chicago ahead of the ALA conference!
COVER REVEAL!
Lion on the Inside: How One Girl Changed Basketball
by Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir with Judith Henderson, illustrated by Katherine Ahmed
Lion on the Inside: How One Girl Changed Basketball
by Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir with Judith Henderson, illustrated by Katherine Ahmed
Yasmin Uçar of Kids Can Press has acquired world rights to Lion on the Inside: How One Girl Changed Basketball by Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir(l.) with Judith Henderson (c.), illustrated by Katherine Ahmed (r.), about Abdul-Qaadir (aka Qisi) who stood by her beliefs to become the first NCAA Division I basketball player to wear hijab on the court and who played one-on-one basketball with President Obama in the White House. Publication is planned for fall 2023; Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink Literary Studio represented the authors, and Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Contributing Illustrator to The Reading Adventure
Discover the world with this carefully curated list from We Need Diverse Books. Features art by Katherine Ahmed, Jake Alexander, Tequitia Andrews, Ruth Burrows, and Janeen Constantino.
Check out 100 must-read books to try before you’re 12! Packed with reviews, recommendations, and exclusive author interviews, The Reading Adventure: 100 Books To Check Out Before You’re 12 will inspire young readers to discover books beyond the curriculum.
Contributing Illustrator to Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Inspiring Young Changemakers!
I was honored to contribute to the latest volume of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, titled “100 Inspiring Young Changemakers”!
Awarded 2021 We Need Diverse Books Mentorship
Sixteen Creative, Rising Voices Named 2021 We Need Diverse Books Mentees
We Need Diverse Books is a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. It is our mission to put more books featuring diverse characters in the hands of all children. You can learn more about WNDB programs at www.diversebooks.org
Illustrator for Room to Read’s First U.S. Project- A 30-Day Book Sprint!
Room to Read's Peace & Equality Book Collection brought together diverse writers and illustrators from the United States to create 10 book titles in 30 days based on themes related to creating a more peaceful and just world. The goal of this book collection is to recognize the work we must continue to do as a society to create social, political, economic, and cultural systems grounded in peace and equality.