Mike Lester is a Georgia based illustrator and cartoonist who just received the National Cartoonist Society’s Ruben Award for Book Illustration, for his illustrations for Cool Daddy Rat, a read-aloud children’s book written by Kristyn Crow.
In addition to his numerous illustrations for children’s books, Lester is an editorial cartoonist for the Rome News-Tribune, and also does a range of other commercial and editorial illustration.
Lester is also the creator of the Mike du Jour semi-animated cartoon for DowJones.com and Work.com
His web site includes a range of his cartooning, comic strips, characters and illustration, though it’s a bit disappointing that there isn’t more of his children’s book illustration featured on the site. It’s in his loopy, sprightly children’s book characters that I find the most delight in his work.