P I C T U R E B O O K S
Kathryn has illustrated nearly 20 books for various children's book publishers including Puffin Books, Tundra Books, Walker Books, Candlewick Press, Simon & Schuster, and Random House Children's, among others.
Her books have many accolades such as reaching #1 New York Times Best-seller for Hey Grandude! by Sir Paul McCartney, Being selected for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, and winning the Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award in 2023 and 2024.
Whale, That Was Unexpected
Written by: Casey Lyall
Illustrated by: Kathryn Durst
Publisher: Tundra Books
Publication date: June 30, 2026
A classic but contemporary tale for 3-to-7-year-olds featuring a hilariously grumpy seafarer and her trusty dog sidekick who get swallowed by a whale. For fans of Caldecott Honor books Bear Came Along and Leave Me Alone.
Stoic seafarer Maude and her canine sidekick Claude head out to fish as they have done every day for many years. But this time, something unexpected happens. (Maude hates it when something unexpected happens.)
They get swallowed by a whale. What does one do when one is swallowed by a whale? Throw a farewell party, I guess. (Maude loves a good party.)
Hilarity ensues as more and more creatures get swallowed and Maude has to keep changing her party plans. (Maude does not love crowds.)
Will Maude and the whale part ways, or is this the end? (Maude would prefer it if we could hurry this up.)
Okay, okay. Read on to find out.
(or from your favourite local bookshop)
Natterjack Toad Makes a Mighty Crunch!
Written by: Sean Taylor
Illustrated by: Kathryn Durst
Publisher: Candlewick
Publication date: March 18, 2025 (US/North America Release)
Will Natterjack Toad ever get to eat his delicious cookies?
Or will he become a snack himself?
It’s a perfect day. The sky is blue, the water is sparkling, and Natterjack Toad has a packet of his most-favorite snack: delicious chocolate-chunk crunchy-munch cookies. He can’t wait to dig in. But not so fast! A lanky heron is intruding on his hidey-hole! Natterjack Toad is off, quickety-whip. But every time he tries to eat his cookies, there’s someone in the way—someone on the lookout for a (toady) snack themselves. Kathryn Durst’s comedic illustrations and Sean Taylor’s text, begging to be read aloud, combine for a hilarious, utterly delectable picture book perfect for snack time or anytime.
(or from your favourite local bookshop)
Pugs Cause Traffic Jams
Written by: Jennifer McGrath
Illustrated by: Kathryn Durst
Publisher: KidsCan Press
Publication date: May 03, 2022
Mayhem abounds in this romp of a story about a girl's search for her missing dog - and about the dog who's just chasing a wild adventure!
A girl races all over town looking for her lost pug, Kirby. As she asks one dog owner in town after another if they've seen her missing pet, readers are treated to poetically succinct depictions of every dog breed the girl comes across in the neighbuorhood. It's a dog's world of fun all around! Who could resist falling in love with this pug? (Hint: no one!)
This delightful picture book with a strong focus on community is one that's sure to get children talking about dogs they have known, making it an easy jumping-off point for exploring animal traits and the unique characteristics of different dog breeds. It would also work well as a writing prompt for children to create their own descriptive dog or pet stories.
How to High Tea with a Hyena
(And Not Get Eaten)
Written by: Rachel Poliquin
Illustrated by: Kathryn Durst
Publisher: Tundra Books
Publication date: April 05, 2022
Winner of the 2024
Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award for English Nonfiction
Book Two in the Polite Predators series.
Celeste is a cockroach, and everyone knows that cockroaches are survivors, so who better to give advice on surviving an encounter with a polite predator?
High teas are dainty meals with pretty teacups: you nibble tiny cakes, sip milky tea and chit-chat about not-so important things like why doughnuts have holes and if fish have eyebrows. But Ruby the hyena is loud, ferocious and tends to slobber. High-speed gobbling makes good sense in the wild, but it is a definite no-no in the tearoom! And Ruby just happens to be Queen of a very large clan of hungry hyenas. Will high tea be ruined by uninvited guests? Is Ruby peckish for something other than Celeste's famous cream buns?
Using her vast knowledge of hyenas, Celeste comes up with lots of strategies to get through high tea in one piece. Many of her suggestions are dangerous, most are absurd, but all are based on true hyena biology and hunting behavior.
How to Promenade with a Python
(And Not Get Eaten)
Written by: Rachel Poliquin
Illustrated by: Kathryn Durst
Publisher: Tundra Books
Publication date: February 2 2021
Winner of the 2023
Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award for English Nonfiction
Book One in the Polite Predators series.
Celeste is a cockroach, and everyone knows that cockroaches are survivors, so who better to give advice on surviving an encounter with a polite predator?
Everyone also knows that taking a moonlit promenade with a deadly reticulated python (named Frank) is a very bad idea. But Celeste loves very bad ideas, and she is willing to put your life on the line to prove herself right! Need to stop a python from swallowing you head-first? Wear a lamp shade as a hat! Want to speed up a three-hundred-pound snake? Try roller skates! What's the perfect light snack for a python? A chicken! Using her superior pythonine knowledge, Celeste comes up with various strategies and solutions -- many dangerous, most absurd, but all based on the biology of pythons. Meanwhile, Frank is hatching his own plans.
Grandude's Green Submarine
Written by: Sir Paul McCartney
Illustrated by: Kathryn Durst
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publication date: October 05, 2021
Grandude’s inventions are the stuff of legend, and his new green submarine doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it flies as well as submerges! Grandude whisks the grandkids off on another adventure, but he and the Chillers soon find themselves in a pickle. Suddenly, it’s Nandude to the rescue! Nandude is an explorer as courageous as Grandude, with an amazing accordion-ship to boot! Between Grandude’s magic compass and Nandude’s magical music, everyone arrives home safely. But not before enjoying a parade, dancing rainforest animals, and a narrow escape from a grabby octopus. This tale is perfect for little explorers and Paul McCartney fans alike!
Hey Grandude!
Written by: Paul McCartney
Illustrated by: Kathryn Durst
Publisher: Puffin UK / Random House Kids US
Publication date: September 2019
Awards: #1 NYT Bestseller Children's Books in 2019
From Paul McCartney - an action-packed picture book adventure celebrating the fun grandparents and grandkids can get up to.
See the compass needle spin - let the magic fun begin!
Meet Grandude - a super-cool, intrepid-explorer grandfather with some amazing tricks up his sleeve...Grandude is a one-of-a-kind adventurer! With his magic compass he whisks his four grandkids off on whirlwind adventures, taking them all around the globe. . . Join them as they ride flying fish, dodge stampedes, and escape avalanches!
You're In Good Paws
Written by: Maureen Fergus
Illustrated by: Kathryn Durst
Publisher: Tundra Books
Publication date: September 10 2019
Awards: Selected for
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library 2020
Slightly distracted parents accidentally take their son, Leo, to the animal hospital to get his tonsils out.
When Leo arrives at the hospital, he is surprised to find it run by animals! A hilarious story featuring animals in human situations, perfect for fans of Zootopia and A Sick Day for Amos McGee.
Life with My Family
Written by: Renee Hooker &, Karl Jones
Illustrated by: Kathryn Durst
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Publication date: October 16, 2018
Picture Book
Join in the fun as a young girl imagines her family as a pandemonium of parrots, a swarm of bees, a smack of jellyfish, a wisdom of wombats, and more!
When a young girl gets frustrated with her chaotic life at home, she imagines what things would be like if her family were animals instead. Would life be better as a pod of pelicans, a pride of lions, or a herd of buffalo? Or is it ultimately a family of humans that she needs? In this beautifully illustrated book, young readers learn the names for groups of animals through a sweet, whimsical narrative that focuses on the importance of family.
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