Mary Jane Begin’s illustrating career began as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where she now teaches illustration.

Her award-winning children’s picture book portfolio includes the recent re-release of Kenneth Grahame’s classic tale The Wind in the Willows, A Mouse Told His Mother, Little Mouse’s Painting, Before I Go To Sleep, The Porcupine Mouse and Jeremy’s First Haircut.

She has exhibited at the RISD Biennial (RI), Society of Illustrators (NY), the DeCordova Museum (MA), Books of Wonder Gallery (NY & CA), and other fine galleries nationwide. Her work has been featured in Communication Arts magazine and the Society of Illustrators Annual of American Illustration. She is the recipient of many awards, including The Steven Donahos Award and multiple Certificates of Merit from the Society of Illustrators, multiple Awards of Excellence from Communication Arts, the Critici Erba Prize at the Bologna Book Fair, Italy and First Place, Juvenile Trade, at the New York Book Show, New York.

She has been a panelist and participant in numerous conferences and workshops, including the Rhode Island Festival of Children’s Books and Authors, the National Family Literacy Conference, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference, and the NEA Teacher’s Conference. She has lectured at local elementary schools throughout Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts.

Mary Jane and her author husband, Mark Allio, live in Providence, RI