- Artist
- Illustrator
- Writer
- American
Mike Curato is an openly gay Filipino American author and illustrator of books for children, teens, and adults, born in Nanuet, New York. He holds a BA in illustration from Syracuse University and has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ representation in children's publishing throughout his career.
He is best known for his Little Elliot picture book series (Henry Holt, 2014-2018) — five books following a small polka-dotted elephant navigating New York City — which have been translated into more than twelve languages and won multiple awards including the Society of Illustrators' Founder's Award. His YA graphic novel Flamer (Henry Holt, 2020) — a semi-autobiographical story about a gay Catholic boy at summer camp in the 1990s — won the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Young Adult and the 2021 Massachusetts Book Award, and has been among the most challenged books in the United States. His adult graphic novel Gaysians (Macmillan, 2025) follows a young East Coast transplant finding community in 2003 Seattle's gay Asian community.
Gaysians (Macmillan, 2025, writer/artist)
Flamer (Henry Holt, 2020, writer/artist)
Little Elliot series (Henry Holt, 2014-2018, writer/artist, 5 volumes)
Lambda Literary Award — LGBTQ Young Adult, Flamer (2020); Massachusetts Book Award for Young Adult — Flamer (2021); Society of Illustrators Founder's Award — Little Elliot, Big City