Thomas Key Maddox

Thomas Key Maddox, age 10, wrote and illustrated his first book, Jack the Puddle Jumper (2014), as a bedtime story for his younger brother Jack. "It didn't really help him fall asleep," said Thomas, "because after hearing it, he just wanted to go jump in puddles." Thomas started writing at a young age. "When I was little, whenever I got in trouble," said Thomas, "my dad made me go to my room to write stories. After a while, I started to get good at it." A Hyde Park Square Art Show award winner, Thomas also created illustrations and curated the multi-genre work of artists from Argentina, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, Serbia, the United Kingdom, and the United States for the interior illustrations. "It was awesome to see how other artists brought Jack the Puddle Jumper to life," said Thomas. "The illustrations are an ingeniously whimsical mix of technical diagrams, line drawings, cartoons, and creative reimagining of advertising," says Professor Rimma Galyamova of the Pockinshook Art Institute. "Blah, blah, blah," says Thomas. "It's just cool art." Thomas Key Maddox lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his brothers Jack, Ben, and Roman.