Rebecca Lee Kunz grew up in Oklahoma and is a multi-media artist and the owner of Tree of Life Studio. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, her work draws upon traditional iconography and is greatly inspired by mythic and archetypal symbolism. Rebecca earned a BFA in painting from the College of Santa Fe in 1998 and now lives in the foothills of Santa Fe County with her husband and three daughters. Rebecca is the recipient of the 2025 Caldecott Award for Chooch Helped, her debut picture book.