User:Jessika von I

Jessika Marie Renee von Innerebner (born 1978) is a Canadian-born author and illustrator best known for her kids book series Kevin the Unicorn. She was awarded the 2023 Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize for That’s MY Sweater!

Biography
Born in Yellowknife, NWT, Canada to Ingo (Mike) von Innerebner and Linda Slater, von Innerebner lived in many various small towns across Canada. Involuntarily raised as Jehovah’s Witness from age five - she eventually left this group at age seventeen. Moved all over Canada, von Innerebner attended at least eight different schools before graduating from Spectrum Community School in 1996.

While finishing grade 12, she apprenticed as a graphic designer at Team Sales (1996-1997). From there she worked as a storyboard clean-up artist with Studio B on the Nickelodeon show Cat-Dog (1997-1998). After moving to Vancouver and working as a digital painter at Mercury Filmworks (1998-1999) von Innerebner moved into animation at Atomic Cartoons (1999-2001) working on the webisode Thugs on Film. From there she went on to work with Disney Interactive (2002-2004) and Inlight Entertainment (2004-2007). She was headhunted to animate for Disney’s Club Penguin in Kelowna, Canada in 2008 until she left to work for various startups in 2012.

After signing on with ABLA with agent Kelly Sonnack, von Innerebner began a her full-time freelance career in first chapter and picture books. In 2018 her debut author, illustrated book, Kevin the Unicorn, It’s Not All Rainbows went to auction and was picked up by Penguin Random House.

She has illustrated over 20 books, including wonderful stories of first peoples with Medicine Wheel Publishing.

Personal Life
Currently, von Innerebner lives in Orange County with her husband Trevor Blake, a serial entrepreneur and business coach. They travel the globe in search of adventure and good conversation.

Author/Illustrator

 * Kevin the Unicorn: It’s Not All Rainbows - Author / Illustrator (2019)
 * Kevin the Unicorn: Why Can’t We Be Bestie-Corns? - Author / Illustrator (2020)
 * That’s MY Sweater! - Author / Illustrator (2022)
 * Sprout Branches Out - Author / Illustrator (2023)

Illustrator

 * Grow up, Antman! (2018) written by Brandon Snider
 * Be Brave like Aquaman! (DC Super Friends) (2019) written by Laura Hitchcock
 * Rox’s Secret Code (2018) written by Mara Lecocq & Nathan Archambault
 * Miranda and Maude series (2018-2020) written by Emma Wunsch