Barbara Reid (born November 16, 1957)^[1] is a Canadian illustrator and author of children's books. She has been called "one of Canada's major literary figures".^[2] In 2012, she received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People,^[3][4] an honour presented annually to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth".^[2]

Reid was born in Toronto, Ontario, on November 16, 1957, and studied at the Ontario College of Art.^[1]

After graduation, she began her career creating illustrations for textbooks, after which she began illustrating children's books.^[5] She is known for her unique, sculpted-clay imagery, which was established with her illustrations for Elizabeth Clark's The New Baby Calf (1984).^[1] She creates her illustrations by starting with a pencil drawing, then builds up the image using coloured modelling clay to give it a three-dimensional effect.^[1] The result is then photographed and used as an illustration.^[1][5] The resulting illustrations are "detail rich" and often "invoke laughter and wonder."^[1]

Reid's work has been published in over 21 countries, including Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Norway, China, Germany, Brazil and Thailand.

In 2006, Reid won the Canadian Library Association's Children's Illustrator of the Year award.^[6] The following year, she won the organization's award for Children's Author of the Year.^[6] In 2012, she won the organization's Libris Award for Picture Book.^[6]

In 2012, she received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People,^[3][4] an honour presented annually to a writer or illustrator whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth".^[2]