Website: https://jonathansandmel.com/  |  Instagram: @jonathansandmel

Represented by Rena Rossner

Jonathan Sandmel is an author and illustrator based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with an MFA in painting from the University of New Mexico. After a winding path — journalism school, a stint at an advertising agency in France, and two decades running his own businesses — he turned to children’s books, a love he rediscovered when reading to his own children.

His debut picture book, Toby’s a Mensch (Neal Porter Books / Holiday House, 2027), is a joyful story that teaches kids their first Yiddish words through the everyday adventures of Toby, a very good three-legged dog. He lives on a small farm with his wife, Katie, their two kids, and an ever-changing cast of chickens, goats, and, of course, the real Toby.