Ayako Watanabe author page

Ayako Watanabe biography

Ayako Watanabe is a Japanese illustrator and children’s author based in Tokyo. She began her career working in advertising before establishing herself as a freelance illustrator.

Watanabe contributed artwork to the interactive board-book series Imagine If…, including Fruits! and Veggies!, published by Templar Publishing in June 2023. These novelty books use lift, slide, push, and pull mechanisms designed for babies and toddlers.

Her book Paper Adventures: A Rip-and-Glue Activity Book was published in May 2024, guiding children through craft activities with illustrated jungle and ocean themes.

She combines traditional media such as acrylics and coloured pencils with digital techniques, producing playful and engaging visuals. Watanabe’s artwork was selected for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition in 2017.