Thanks for visiting my website!
Using pencil and watercolour, I aim to create illustrations that evoke curiosity and celebrate our connection to the natural world. I'm most interested in illustrating nature themed picture books, especially poetic books or expository nonfiction.
I live on a point overlooking Pidgeon Lake in Ontario, Canada, with my partner, a nature writer and fish biologist and our chatty cat, Miss Snooli.
Drop me a line, I'd love to hear from you! june.steube@icloud.com
For book illustrations queries, pease note that I am only interested in working on traditionally published picture books.
Silly Racoon
2018 Applied Arts
Illustration Award
Awards and Honours
• Shortlisted for 2026 Lane Anderson Award for Canadian science writing, for The Buzz on Wild Bees, written by Kira Vermond, Owlkids Books
• Nominee, 2027 Forest of Reading Yellow Cedar Award for The Buzz on Wild Bees , Owlkids Books
• 2026 Competition winner, Fine silver coin. The Royal Canadian Mint for the 'Nature's Delight': The Spider',
• Winner of the 2026 Thomas Family Children's Non-fiction Book Award : The Nature Generation's 2026 Green Earth Book Awards for The Buzz on Wild Bees, Owlkids Books
• A 2025 Blueberry Honor Award Book for The Buzz on Wild Bees', Owlkids Books,
• The American Library Association Best Sustainability Books for Kids, 2026 for 'The Buzz on Wild Bees', Owlkids
• 2025 Competition Winner 1 oz Fine silver coin. The Royal Canadian Mint for Nature's Delight: The Honey bee
• Eureka! 2023 Gold Award California Reading Nonfiction Children's Book for 'Dig, Dance, Dive', written by Etta Kaner, Owlkids Books
• Winner of the 2022 Endies Award for 'Dig, Dance. Dive', Owlkids Books, Endpapers 'Best Energy' category.
• 2020 Competition Winner, 1/2 oz Pure Silver Coin - O Canada! - The Beaver, The Royal Canadian Mint
• Canada East 2019 SCBWI Illustration Portfolio People's Choice Award
• Honorable Mention Canada East 2019 SCBWI Rising Kite Diversity Scholarship
• 2nd Place 2019 Brightness Magazine Annual Illustration Awards: Book Category
• 2019 Honorable Mention Writing with the Stars Competition
• 2018 Applied Arts Illustration Award
• Merit Award, Directions Art Director's Club, Toronto
•. Honorable Mentions, Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators
• Gold Orville Parks Award, Second Place and Honorable Mentions, Society of Medical Illustrators
• Art in the Service of Science Exhibit, The Smithsonian, Washington, DC
Interviews:
2025 Artist Spotlight: June Steube 2025 $20 Fine Silver Coin - Nature's Delight: The Honeybee, The Royal
Canadian Mint Masters Club Newsletter, Edition 6, Vol 6
2020 Interview with Illustrator June Steube on Rhys Keller's 'Words that Show the Way'
2019 Article: June Steube, A Close Connection to Nature, Brightness Magazine Issue 14,
Clients include:
Owlkids Books
The Royal Canadian Mint
The Caterpillar Magazine
Key Porter Books
TriStar Motion Pictures
Oxford University Press
The Canadian Museum of Nature
Canada Post
Mercantile Bank
The Royal Ontario Museum
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
Chatelaine Magazine
Canadian Living
McClelland and Stewart Publishers
Perot Museum Dallas Texas
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans
The National Research Council of Canada
Coin image © 2025 Royal Canadian Mint. All rights reserved
Coin image © 2021 Royal Canadian Mint.
All rights reserved
Coin image © 2026 The Royal Canadian Mint. All rights reserved
* With respect, I acknowledge that we are situated on Mississauga lands and the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa Nations, including Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations known collectively as the Williams Treaty First Nations. I am grateful for the opportunity to work and live here and share in all its bountiful resources.
I thank all the generations of people who have taken care of this land - for thousands of years.