Mike Curato

Mike Curato is a Filipino-American writer and illustrator of children's books. His graphic novel, Flamer, received a Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature in 2021, and his graphic novel Gaysians won the 2026 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Comics.

Personal life

Curato was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City and currently lives in Brooklyn.

He received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Syracuse University before moving to Seattle to pursue a career as a graphic designer.

He is Filipino-American and was raised Catholic.

Selected works

Little Elliot series (2014–2018)

The Little Elliot series follows an elephant named Elliot and consists of five books: Little Elliot, Big City (2015); Little Elliot, Big Family (2015); Little Elliot, Big Fun (2016); Little Elliot, Fall Friends (2017); and Merry Christmas, Little Elliot (2018).

Flamer (2020)

Flamer is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel, published September 1, 2020 by Henry Holt and Company. The book has received various accolades, including the Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature in 2021.

Gaysians (2025)

Gaysians is an adult graphic novel, published 2025 by Algonquin Books. The book has received various accolades, including the 2026 Stonewall Book Award - Barbara Gittings Literature Award, the 2026 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Original Graphic Novel/Anthology, and being selected for Kirkus Reviews' Best Fiction Books of the Year. It also won the 2026 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Comics.

Publications

Little Elliot series

Little Elliot, Big City, published August 26, 2014 by Henry Holt and Company

Little Elliot, Big Family, published October 6, 2015 by Henry Holt and Company

Little Elliot, Big Fun, published August 30, 2016 by Henry Holt and Company

Little Elliot, Fall Friends, published August 29, 2017 by Henry Holt and Company

Merry Christmas, Little Elliot, published September 11, 2018 by Henry Holt and Company

Standalone books

Flamer, published September 1, 2020 by Henry Holt and Company

Where is Bina Bear?, expected to be published January 11, 2022 by Henry Holt and Company

Gaysians, published 2025 by Algonquin Books

Illustrator

Worm Loves Worm, written by J. J. Austrian and published January 5, 2016 by Balzer + Bray

All the Way to Havana, written by Margarita Engle and published August 29, 2017 by Henry Holt and Company

What If..., written by Samantha Berger and published April 10, 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Sunny Day: A Celebration of Sesame Street, written by Joe Raposo; illustrated alongside Christian Robinson, Selina Alko, Brigette Barrager, Roger Bradford, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Ziyue Chen, Joey Chu, Pat Cummings, Leo Espinosa, Tom Lichtenheld, Rafael López, Emily Winfield Martin, Joe Mathieu, Kenard Pak, Greg Pizzoli, Sean Qualls, and Dan Santat; and published October 22, 2019 by Random House Books for Young Readers

The Power of One: Every Act of Kindness Counts, written by Trudy Ludwig, published August 25, 2020 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

The Sharey Godmother, written by Samantha Berger and published April 13, 2021 by Imprint

What Are You? written by Christian Trimmer and expected to be published October 18, 2022 by Roaring Brook Press