Her parents emigrated from Nigeria to Columbus, Ohio. Mora attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). While taking a class called "Picture and Word" at RISD, she created a picture book mock-up, titled ''Omu's Stew'' for her final project. The teacher invited editors and art directors to see the final work and Mora's draft was picked up by publisher Little, Brown and Company and published as ''Thank You, Omu!.''
Her illustrations are created with cut paper, paint, and china markers.
