Kathryn Shoemaker was born January 10, 1943 in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is the illustrator of over forty books for children, including Seeking Refuge by Irene N. Watts (2016), My Animal Friends by R. David Stephens (2002), Floyd Flamingo and His Flock of Friends by Tiffany Stone (2004), Jenny’s Neighbours by Richard Thompson (1987) and Los Ninos Alfabeticos by Lourdes Ayala (1995). She is also the author of four of her illustrated books, including Creative Christmas (1978). In addition, she illustrates educational materials, cards, posters and calendars for publishers, businesses and other groups.

Shoemaker earned a B.A., Magna Cum Laude, from Immaculate Heart College, and later attended the University of British Columbia (UBC) to earn a Master of Arts in Children's Literature (2006) and a PhD in Language and Literacy Education (2014). She studied art at the Otis Art Institute, Occidental College and the Chouinards Art Institute. Since 1996, she has been an instructor of classes on illustration at institutions such as UBC, SFU, Langara, Kwantlen, and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. In 2009, Shoemaker began teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on illustration, children’s literature, and Canadian children's literature, with a specialty in picturebooks and graphic novels, in the Library Archival and Information Studies programs and Language Literacy and Education programs at UBC.

Shoemaker's works have received numerous awards and accolades including the Western Canada Jewish Book Prize in 2018 and the Vine Award for Canadian Jewish Literature in 2017 for Seeking Refuge (by Irene N. Watts), and numerous nominations for the Chocolate Lily Award since 2006. In 2018, Shoemaker received the Alumni UBC Faculty Community Service Award for her role as an "advocate for reading and excellence in children’s literature" including her illustrations, writing, and development of teaching and learning materials.