Paola Santos is a children's book author born and raised in Venezuela. After moving to Canada, she found the courage to share the words and stories that had long been enclosed in her imagination. Her stories are now woven with her culture, experience in a new country, hope, happiness, and diversity. She is the author of How to Eat a Mango / Cómo see come un mango (Neal Porter Books / Holiday House), 2024, and the forthcoming picture book A House in My Barrio (Henry Holt / Macmillan), 2026.

Paola holds a bachelor's in Literature from the University of Zulia (Maracaibo, Venezuela) and a master’s in Children's Literature and Reading Promotion from the Castilla-La Mancha University (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain). She is an active member of the SCBWI and a graduate of the Children's Book Academy. She has been awarded various mentorship programs, including Las Musas-Hermanas (fall 2020) with author Alexandra Alessandri and Wee Need Diverse Books (2021) with Meg Medina, current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature in the U.S.A.

At present, Paola has the privilege of being a Musa with Las Musas Books, a Latinx collective who, through writing and/or illustrating, have come together to support and amplify each other’s voices in children’s literature. She is also part of PB Dreamers, a group of fabulous picture book authors whose books will be released in 2024 who work together and support each other.

Paola invites you to visit her website or follow her on Twitter or Instagram.

When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, creating memories, and celebrating their culture. She lives in Edmonton, Canada.