About

Dow Phumiruk* is a clinically retired pediatrician who has found her passion in creating children's books. Though creative throughout childhood, she put this artistic part of her aside as she pursued a career in medicine. Years later, when she chose to take time off to be a stay-at-home mother (2003), she rediscovered her love of all things creative, finding much joy especially in children's book illustration. She experimented with different mediums and styles on her own for a while. Finally realizing she couldn't do it all alone, she took the plunge into SCBWI in 2011 - and hasn't looked back! 

 
Now she primarily works digitally (mostly because she really, really, really needs to erase sometimes) and is represented by East West Literary Agency. Her favorite subjects are children (especially girls) and animals. She has written and/or illustrated several books. Clients include HarperCollins, Henry Holt/Macmillan, Hachette Book Group, Abrams, Viking, Candlewick, Sleeping Bear Press, Penguin/Random House, and Levine Querido (how cool to work with founder Arthur Levine, who brought Harry Potter to America!). See my section of books for details.


 Dow was born in Krung Thep (Bangkok), Thailand. She now lives in Colorado with her husband of three decades, three artistic daughters and a dog. Dow also enjoys fast and furious sewing projects and limited (she's not that athletic) hiking.
 
 

Distinctions in Books:                           

Colorado Book Award Finalist 2022, category of children's books (author and illustrator of) Hugsby (Viking Children's Books)

Colorado Book Award Finalist 2019, category of children's books (author of) Mela and the Elephant (Sleeping Bear Press)

Cook Award for Nonfiction Picture Book 2018, (illustrator of) Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 (Christy Ottaviano Books of Henry Holt/Macmillan)

United Kingdom Literary Association Informational Picture Book Award, (illustrator of) Counting on Katherine (Christy Ottaviano Books of Henry Holt/Macmillan)   

Junior Library Guild selection for Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines, Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13, and Titan and the Wild Boars: the True Cave Rescue of the Thai Soccer Team
Distinctions in Art:
 Winner, SCBWI Inaugural Narrative Art Award, 2017
Winner, SCBWI Postcard Contest 2016
1st place RMC SCBWI calendar image contest 2015
 Winner, SCBWI Emerging Voices Award 2013 for Mela in the Jungle (published as Mela and the Elephant)
 1st place RMC SCBWI Vicki Ferguson Scholarship contest 2013
 Kaiser Permanente Colorado Art Show 1st place, Professional Category, 2013 and 2015
 2nd place RMC SCBWI Vickie Ferguson Scholarship contest 2012
Kaiser Art Show 2nd place, Nonprofessional Category 2007
Lone Tree Art Show 2nd place Mixed Media category 2009
Art Club Founder and President, Acres Green Mom’s group 2011-2013
Member, Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators since 2011
Co-Regional Advisor, SCBWI, since 2019
 
 

All images on this site are mine unless otherwise specified. Please don't copy them without my permission. Thank you.
 
 
*Pronunciation:
Dow rhymes with "wow!" :)
Phumiruk has a sneaky silent h: Poo' mee ruck.
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