Mary GrandPré, an American illustrator, is widely acclaimed for her distinctive cover and chapter illustrations of the Harry Potter books in their U.S. editions, published by Scholastic. She garnered significant recognition in 2015, receiving a Caldecott Honor for her work on Barb Rosenstock's The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art. GrandPré's artistic prowess extends beyond her literature contributions; she is also known for her gallery exhibitions and contributions to periodicals like The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, and The Wall Street Journal. Her career began post-education at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and over time, she developed a style she refers to as "soft geometry". This style has earned her corporate advertising and editorial clients, including Ogilvy & Mather, BBD&O, and Neenah Paper.

Outside the realm of book illustration, GrandPré has lent her talents to the film industry, working as a conceptual artist on DreamWorks' Antz and Blue Sky Studios' Ice Age. Her illustrations for more than twenty picture books convey her unique lyrical interpretation of stories, while her fine art paintings introduce a fusion of abstract painting with realism. This combination has crafted a new narrative territory for GrandPré to explore. Her remarkable achievements have not gone unnoticed, as evidenced by the accolades she has received, including the ABBA American Booksellers Book of the Year for the Harry Potter Series, Young Hoosier Book Award Nomination, and features in publications such as Communication Arts, Graphis International, and Print.