Will Hillenbrand author page

Will Hillenbrand biography

Will Hillenbrand is an American author and illustrator of children’s books. He studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and worked in advertising before moving into children’s publishing after taking a class in picture-book art. He has since written and/or illustrated more than 75 books.

Hillenbrand’s own picture books include Down by the Station, Snowman’s Story, The Voice in the Hollow and The Winding Willow. He created the Bear and Mole series, which begins with Spring Is Here and also includes Kite Day, Off We Go!, All for a Dime, First Star and Summer Is Here. His books for developing readers include the Mighty Reader series and titles in Holiday House’s I Like to Read series.

As an illustrator, Hillenbrand has worked on books by other authors, including Margery Cuyler’s The Biggest, Best Snowman and Snow Friends, and Verna Aardema’s Traveling to Tondo: A Tale of the Nkundo of Zaire. The latter was named an ALA Notable Children’s Book. Hillenbrand has also received a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators and International Reading Association Children’s Choice honours, while Spring Is Here received the Please Touch Museum Book Award.

His nonfiction picture book Light as a Feather: Fifteen Phenomenal North American Birds was published by Holiday House in March 2026. Holiday House also published Cub and Bat, a phonics-based early reader written and illustrated by Hillenbrand, in July 2026.