Chris Soentpiet (pronounced “soon-pete”) is an illustrator and author of children’s books. He also enjoys illustrating books by other authors, which has taken his imagination on many exciting adventures!
Chris was was born in South Korea. When he was eight-years-old, he and his sister were adopted by the Soentpiet family, and moved to Hawaii. Much later, while doing research for his book Peacebound Trains, he had the opportunity to return to South Korea and visit his biological siblings for the first time since he was adopted.
Chris studied Fine Arts and Education at Pratt Institute in New York City. There he developed his passion for painting by illustrating children’s books. Since then, his work has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, Houston Chronicle and Newsweek.
“Anytime you can have Chris as a guest at your school, grab the chance. I have been teaching for 27 years and he is absolutely at the top of my list!” — Andrea Gerstenblatt, Library Media Specialist, JFK School, Great Neck, NY
