About

Hello!

I write picture books that spark curiosity and celebrate diversity.

Three fun facts about me: I was a gymnast for most of my childhood. I love baseball and am a lifelong White Sox fan. My favorite dinosaur is the parasaurolophus.

Short Bio

Judy Campbell-Smith writes picture books that spark curiosity and celebrate diversity. Her books are an engaging mix of fact and fiction, and she is often inspired by true stories and real people in her work. Judy’s background is African-American and Puerto Rican, and she’s always trying to write books that she wished she had as a child. Her first book, AJ’s Neighborhood, illustrated by Amanda Dowell, was self-published. Her second book, Ice Cream Everywhere: Sweet Stories from Around the World, illustrated by Lucy Semple, was published by Sleeping Bear Press in 2024. Her third book, Baseball for Breakfast: A (Mostly) True Story, illustrated by Maggie Carroll, will be published in 2026 by Charlesbridge. Judy works as the Administrative Coordinator for Made for PAX, an organization dedicated to training Christian leaders of color working for peacemaking and justice in their respective fields. Judy is very active in the kidlit community and lives in Southern California with her husband and two children.

For more info, check out the Media Kit! To get in touch with Judy, please use the Contact page.

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