Our Children's Authors

Jennifer A. Nielsen is the #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of more than 25 books for young readers. Her work has garnered multiple awards, among them, the Sydney Taylor Notable Book Award (RESISTANCE, 2019), multiple Whitney Awards, including the Outstanding Achievement Award (2023), and several state book awards. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages worldwide.

Jennifer is a frequent speaker in schools and at writing conferences around the country. She lives in northern Utah with her family.

Kristin Wolden Nitz is the author of Suspect, Saving the Griffin, and Defending Irene. After growing up in Duluth, Minnesota, she graduated with an electrical engineering degree from Michigan Tech. Since then, she has moved 15 times with stops in the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, and the Italian Alps. A chronic tourist, Kristin enjoys visiting mountains and museums, pyramids and pagodas, tombs and temples. She currently lives near Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband.

Marc Tyler Nobleman is an award-winning author of books for young readers. "Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman" changed history, inspiring the Hulu documentary "Batman & Bill" [the first film based on a nonfiction picture book]. "Thirty Minutes Over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot’s World War II Story" earned an Orbis Pictus Honor.

Among Marc's other writing: humor and nonfiction for "Nickelodeon" magazine and an unprecedented musical comedy reality web series for the Kennedy Center. He created the Stories of Hope fundraiser series to support children in Ukraine and to combat literary censorship. He has given a TED Talk and spoken at schools/conferences in 20 countries across five continents.

Barbara O’Connor is the author of award-winning novels for children, including Halfway to Harmony, How to Steal a Dog, and the New York Times bestseller, Wish. Drawing on her South Carolina roots, Barbara’s books are known for their strong Southern settings and quirky characters.

In addition to seven Parents Choice Awards, Barbara’s distinctions include School Library Journal Best Books, Kirkus Best Books, Bank Street College Best Books, American Booksellers Association Best Books and ALA Notables. She has had books nominated for children’s choice awards in 38 states and been voted the winner by children in ten states. Barbara is a popular visiting author at schools and a frequent speaker at conferences around the country.

Dr. Eucabeth Odhiambo is a professor of Teacher Education at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. She has served the education community in a variety of positions during the past 25 years. As a classroom teacher, she has taught all grades between kindergarten and middle school. She currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the Early Childhood and Curriculum and Instruction programs. She teaches child development and social studies methods and has made numerous professional presentations at local, state, national, and international conferences. In addition to her writing for children, she has authored publications on teaching, pre-service training, and diversity.

Jen de Oliveira is a writer and cartoonist. Her debut graphic novel, Reggie: Kid Penguin, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Book, and was selected for reading lists including the American Library Association’s 2023 Best Graphic Novels for Children and the Children’s Book Council’s 2024 Children’s Favorites. A former elementary school teacher, Jen currently teaches cartooning workshops for kids. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their two spoiled cats.

David Opie grew up in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, where he spent a lot of time roaming around the woods. He went on to earn his BFA in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design and his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His illustrations have appeared in many magazines and newspapers and he has worked for educational publishers including Heinemann/Houghton Mifflin, Macmillan, Learning A-Z, McGraw-Hill, National Geographic School Publishing, Scholastic, and Soundprints/Smithsonian.

David has taught at the Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago and the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, and was a full-time instructor in the illustration department of the American Academy of Art in downtown Chicago. He currently teaches at the University of New Haven. David and his wife live with their dog in Connecticut.

Emma Otheguy is the creator of HarperCollins’ award winning Reina Ramos (I Can Read) early reader series, and the author of the picture books Martí’s Song for Freedom/ Martí y sus versos por la libertad, illustrated by Beatriz Vidal (Lee and Low), which received five starred reviews, was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and the New York Public Library, and was the recipient of the International Literacy Association’s Children’s and Young Adult Book Award in Intermediate Nonfiction, A Sled for Gabo (Atheneum), illustrated by Ana Ramirez Gonzalez, which was an NCTE Charlotte Huck Recommended Book and a Best Book of the Year by the Chicago and New York Public Libraries and Parents Latina magazine, and her latest, Martina Has Too Many Tías, illustrated by Pura Belpré Honor illustrator Sara Palacios (Atheneum),which is a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection and has received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal. Emma’s middle-grade novels include Silver Meadows Summer, which was called “a magnificent contribution to the diversity of the new American literature for young readers” by Pura Belpré-winning author Ruth Behar; Secrets of the Silver Lion: A Carmen Sandiego Novel; and Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene, which received the International Latino Book Award Silver Medal for Best Youth Latino Focused Chapter Book. Emma also co-authored The Madre de Aguas of Cuba: Unicorn Rescue Society middle grade fantasy with Newbery Honor-winner Adam Gidwitz. Her forthcoming books include the third and fourth installments in the Reina Ramos series, Reina Ramos: Tour Guide, and Reina Ramos: Neighborhood Helper, and the first two titles in a new magic fantasy-adventure series titled Cousins in the Time of Magic, published by Atheneum.

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Andrea M. Page (Hunkpapa Lakota) writes middle grade, picture books, and educator guides for children’s books by Native authors. She is the author of SIOUX CODE TALKERS OF WORLD WAR II (Pelican Publishing), which won a 2019 Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) Gold Medal. She serves as a board member for the Children’s Literature Assembly (CLA) of the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE), where she recently became one of the vice-chairs of CLA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. In addition, Andrea is an instructor at the Highlights Foundation, where she mentors other children’s writers.

Her projects include a contribution to the bestselling “Who Was…?” series titled WHO WAS WILMA MANKILLER? (Penguin Workshop). Andrea is a long-time member of the Rochester Area Children’s Writers and Illustrators (RACWI) group and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

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Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan loves exploring history and science. She's written a dozen fiction and nonfiction books and graphic novels. She has been a science educator on stage and a historical re-enactor at museums. She loves board games, birding, and baking. She's a lifelong runner, avid community scientist, and can usually deliver the punchline. When Elizabeth isn’t writing, she’s out birding. Her spark bird is a red-tailed hawk. She completed the Master Birder program with the Audubon Society of Western PA. Elizabeth lives with her family and pet schnoodle in Pittsburgh, PA.

Dan’s writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Philadelphia Inquirer, McSweeney’s, Ladybug, and Ranger Rick, among other publications. He studied Geography and City Planning at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and Science Writing at Johns Hopkins University. Dan is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the National Association of Science Writers (NASW).

Dan’s recent books include LOVE IS HARD WORK, THEY HOLD THE LINE: WILDFIRES, WILDLANDS, AND THE FIREFIGHTERS WHO BRAVE THEM.

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Ammi-Joan Paquette is the author of twenty books for young readers, including the PW starred picture book All from a Walnut, and the middle-grade novel The Train of Lost Things, which was a 2019 Ontario Library Association’s Silver Birch Award nominee, a 2020 Rhode Island Children’s Book Award nominee, and is currently being adapted into a major motion picture. She was a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award, and her writing has received recognition from Junior Library Guild, reviews in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and has been translated into nine languages. In her non-writing life, Joan is a Senior Literary Agent with Aevitas Creative Management, where she represents a list of New York Times Bestselling and award-winning authors and illustrators.

Edith Pattou is the author of three award-winning fantasy novels for young adults as well as the New York Times bestselling picture book, MRS. SPITZER’S GARDEN. 

She was born in Evanston, Illinois, grew up in Winnetka, and was a teenager in the city of Chicago. She completed her B.A. at Scripps College in Claremont, California where she won the Crombie Allen Award for creative writing. She later completed a Master’s degree in English Literature at Claremont Graduate School followed by a Masters of Library and Information Science at UCLA. She currently resides with her husband, Charles, in Columbus, Ohio.

Miranda Paul is the award-winning author of many fiction and nonfiction books for children including One Plastic Bag, Speak Up, and Water is Water, illustrated by Caldecott-medalist Jason Chin. She presents and speaks at schools and libraries around the world, and teaches writing to both kids and adults. Learn more at www.MirandaPaul.com.

Lisa Varchol Perron is the author of several books and over seventy poems for kids. Awards and recognition for her books include state lists and being named a JLG Gold Standard Selection, NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book, Golden Kite Award Finalist, and Best Science Book for Kids (NPR's Science Friday). She lives with her family outside of Boston, Massachusetts, where she also works as a psychotherapist. To learn more about Lisa's books and poetry, please visit her website: lisaperronbooks.com. She can also be found on Instagram and Bluesky: @lisavperron.

Shawn Peters has spent more than two decades writing professionally for television and advertising.

Nadine Pinede is the daughter of Haitian exiles from the Duvalier dictatorship. She earned her literature degree from Harvard (magna cum laude) and studied French and English at Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. Her MFA is in Fiction and Poetry. Her PhD in Philosophy of Education focused on literature and the moral imagination. Pinede, twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize and shortlisted for a Hurston-Wright award, has to her credit fiction and poetry published in Haiti Noir (edited by Edwidge Danticat) and An Invisible Geography, a poetry chapbook. She is the author of two nonfiction works Sexism & Race, and Women in Film. As a member of the Authors Guild and Women Writers of Haitian Descent, and a We Need Diverse Books mentee and grantee, her poetry has been widely anthologized.  Nadine lives and works in Belgium and is an editor for Enchanted Lion Books.

Weng Pixin was born in 1983 and grew up in sunny Singapore. As a child, Pixin’s father used to tell her stories—stories that reflected his curious nature. When Pixin began making art, she wanted to express that same curious nature in her semi-autobiographical comics.

Pixin’s debut graphic novel, SWEET TIME was published by Drawn & Quarterly in 2020. It compiles a collection of short-form comics she’d created between 2008 - 2017, capturing themes of loneliness, desire, disconnection and connectedness. Her second graphic novel, LET'S NOT TALK ANYMORE (published by Drawn & Quarterly in 2021) was inspired by her once-fraught relationship with her mother, which led to Pixin’s interest to dive into the untold stories of figures along her matrilineal line. She currently divides her time between facilitating art workshops for children and working on her comics and art.

Passionate about creating thoughtful representation for kids and teens, Maya Prasad is a South Asian American author, a Caltech graduate, and a former software engineer. She currently resides in the Pacific Northwest, where she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and raising her budding bookworm kiddo. She’s the author of two YA contemporary romances: Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things (Disney 2022); Wild Wishes and Windswept Kisses (Disney 2023), and also the author of the Sejal Sinha chapter book series (S&S/Aladdin).

Elvis Presley is one of the most influential pop culture figures of the 20th century. Often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", Elvis’ commanding voice and charismatic stage presence unleashed a musical and cultural revolution that changed the world forever. Over the course of his career, Elvis was nominated for 14 Grammy Awards (3 wins), sold over 1 billion records world-wide, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and was named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation by the United States Jaycees. In addition to his musical accolades, Elvis starred in 33 films and made numerous television appearances. Today Elvis continues to inspire musicians, fashion designers, and social influencers and captivate audiences around the world.

Nicki Pau Preto is the author of YA fantasy trilogy Crown of Feathers and the forthcoming YA duology, Bonesmith. Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents is her MG debut.

Nick Pyenson is a paleontologist at the Smithsonian Institution where he studies the evolution and ecology of whales. Along with his scientific collaborators, he has named over a dozen new fossil species, discovered the richest fossil whale graveyard on the planet, and described an entirely new sensory organ in living whales. He has received the highest research awards from the Smithsonian for his work, including the Secretary’s Research Prize and a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President Barack Obama’s Administration. Pyenson is also a member of the Young Scientists community at the World Economic Forum, and the father of two young kids.

Dawn Quigley, Ph.D. and citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, ND, writes picture books, chapter books and middle grade stories centering Native American characters. In addition to her debut coming-of-age young adult novel, Apple in the Middle (NDSU Press), “Joey Reads the Sky” in Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, the chapter book series Jo Jo Makoons: The Used to Be Best Friend (book #1); Jo Jo Makoons: Fancy Pants (#2), Red Bird Danced (forthcoming novel-in-verse), and Native American Heroes (Scholastic Books), Dawn has over 30 published articles, essays and poems. She lives in Minnesota with her family.

Both Jo Jo Makoons: Fancy Pants and Jo Jo Makoons: Snow Day were named 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Award Best Middle Grade Honor Books. She lives in Minnesota with her family.

After living for almost a decade in the UK, Andrea is an author-illustrator currently based in a small Spanish coastal city. As a mom, Andrea knows humor is the best way to connect with kids. As an architect—and a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field—she is thrilled to share all things STEM and empower minorities to follow their dreams. As a migrant, her goal is to create stories where diversity is simply a given. As a human, she simply dreams of helping new generations build a kinder world.

She shares short comics about motherhood and her journey raising her two kids on Instagram at @parentingstorms.

Abigail Rayner grew up mostly in England with a couple of years in Greece thrown in. She moved to New York City in her twenties, where she worked as a reporter for British newspapers. Her books, The Backup Bunny (2018) and I Am a Thief (2019) called “Hilarious and sweet” by Kirkus Reviews (starred review), have delighted children. She lives in New Jersey, with her husband, two kids, two cats, and lots of tasty gluten-free snacks.

Aimee Reid is an author with a background in education and editing. She taught high school English, Music, and Special Education before she began to work full-time as a writer. As a child, Aimee was a voracious reader and could often be found—curled in a corner, tucked in the crook of a tree limb, or crouched by a book rack in the grocery store aisle—carried away to the world of a book. Now Aimee sends her own stories out into the world. It brings her great joy to think of other children nestled on a lap or cuddled on a couch reading good books to share.

Jean Reidy’s bestselling and award-winning picture books have earned their spots as favorites among readers and listeners of all ages and from all over the world. She is honored to be a three-time winner of the Colorado Book Award, a Parent’s Choice Gold Award Winner, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor winner and recognized on “Best of” lists by School Library Journal, the New York Times, NPR and Amazon. Jean writes from her home in Chicago where she lives just a short walk from her neighborhood library … which she visits nearly every day.

Michael Relth is a veteran animator based in Los Angeles.

Rob Renzetti is a veteran of TV animation, whose work on Cartoon Network earned him an Emmy. He created the Nickelodeon show MY LIFE AS A TEENAGE ROBOT, acted as the supervising producer for Disney’s GRAVITY FALLS, and served as executive producer on the first two seasons of Disney’s BIG CITY GREENS, as well as many other credits. He has also published four books for Disney Publishing, including the New York Times #1 Best Seller GRAVITY FALLS: JOURNAL THREE.

When he’s not writing, Rob likes to play boardgames, watch horror movies, and chase after his very naughty rabbit, Zigzag.

Jen and Kate, also known as Kaiju, a couple of comic artists working together to create projects close to their hearts. They are SVA graduates and debuted with Chromatic Press in 2014 with The Ring of Saturn. Their next work, Mahou Josei Chimaka, won a DINKy award in March of 2016. Their short comic Inhabitant of Another Planet, was also nominated for a DINKy the following year. They’re currently working on their YA webcomic series Novae and a middle grade duology called Haven and the Fallen Giants.

Dan Richards is a graduate of the University of Washington Writing for Children program and best known for his humorous picture books and middle grade novels. His books have been named Junior Library Guild Selections, Amazon Best of the Month Books, Indie Next Selections, and Washington Children’s Choice Awards Finalists, among other honors.

His most recent picture book NUBBY was chosen for the 2024-2025 Dolly Parton Imagination Library and is being enjoyed in over a million homes worldwide. Dan lives in Bothell, WA with his wife and mischievous doodle Arthur.

Jennifer’s endless curiosity has taken her from Philadelphia to Frankfurt and has led to careers in the U.S. Foreign Service, secondary education, finance, editing, audio description for television, and copywriting. Throughout all the changes in locales and jobs, writing was one constant. The other was her husband, whom she met in Germany while on her first tour as a foreign service officer.

Jennifer’s poetry, short stories, and novels draw heavily from her many interests and hobbies, with a particular focus on birding and astronomy. She’s passionate about expanding young people’s horizons and imaginations as well as promoting racial harmony over division. Now a resident of Delaware, Jennifer writes with one eye on her computer and the other on the action at her bird feeders. She also enjoys vegetable gardening, crocheting, and following the latest news from NASA.

Danielle Ridolfi is a picturebook author-illustrator with an MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture from the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts. Her debut picture book, When the Dark Clouds Come, is forthcoming from Quill Tree Books in October 2025. Danielle writes and illustrates picture books for children about the natural world and our equally complex emotional landscape that encourage quiet observation, discovery, and reflection. She uses collage and printmaking in her work and is interested in the ways these methods can connect readers with tangible objects, memories, and places. You can often find pressed plants, photographs, and bits of ephemera in her work, and all of them have a story.

Danielle is also an instructor at Washington University in St. Louis where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses about picture book illustration and children’s publishing and often writes about children's illustration and visual culture. She was the 2024 recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats & Kerlan Memorial Fellowship from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. When she is not in the classroom or the studio, you can find Danielle browsing antique stores, rehabbing her 1902 Victorian home, quilting, or camping in the Missouri Ozarks. Danielle lives in Belleville, Illinois with her partner Eugene.

My first words came in Spanish. My first books were fairy tales. Born in Puerto Rico, I learned to love the mountains, the birds, coffee and pasteles and the greatest treasure: its people. My writing is full of nature and journeys. I’ve yet to write about pasteles. 

Still in elementary school, I moved to New York where I learned English, the difficult task of being an immigrant, the greatness of family and friends. I studied in the University of Puerto Rico; first to become a teacher; years later to obtain a Master’s in Guidance and Counseling. I’m a writer and poet. I love the mountains and the sea, the country and the city, Spanish and English, New York and Puerto Rico, the picture book and the novel. I’m working to share beautiful worlds in words.  

Florence Rivières is an author of books for all ages and a narrative designer for video games. For kids specifically, their aim is to write the stories they would've liked to find when they were the same age.

A former fashion editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, Roberts is an artist, illustrator, photographer, and stylist whose work also appears in Tatler, Italian Vogue, and other international publications.

Cindy L. Rodriguez is a senior editor for an educational publisher and an award-winning author of children’s books. Cindy, who is of Puerto Rican and Brazilian descent, is also a former journalist and public school teacher. When she’s not working or writing, she is hanging out with her family and two dogs in Connecticut.

Kim Rogers is the author of Just Like Grandma,  winner of the 2024 Charlotte Zolotow Award, 2024 Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor for Writer, illustrated by Julie Flett; A Letter for Bob, winner of the 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Award, 2024 Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title, illustrated by Jonathan Nelson; and I Am Osage: How Clarence Tinker became the First Native American Major General, illustrated by Bobby Von Martin, all with HarperCollins/Heartdrum. She is a contributor to Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids (Heartdrum 2021). The cover, illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt, was inspired by Jessie, the protagonist in her short story, “Flying Together.” Her poem, “What is a Powwow” is also included. Kim is an enrolled member of Wichita and Affiliated Tribes and is a member of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. Much of her current writing highlights her Wichita heritage. She lives with her family on her tribe’s ancestral homelands in Oklahoma.

Jarod Roselló is a Cuban American writer, cartoonist, and teacher originally from Miami, Florida. He is the author and artist of the award-winning middle-grade graphic novel series, Red Panda & Moon Bear, and the chapter book graphic novel series, Super Magic Boy. His books have been named to the New York Public Library and Chicago Public library best books of tghe year lists and the Texas Library Association’s Little Maverick Reading List. He was the recipient of the 2022 Washington Library Association’s OTTER Award for children’s literature.

Jarod holds an MFA in Creative Writing and a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction, both from The Pennsylvania State University. He lives in Tampa, Florida with his family, and teaches in the creative writing program at University of South Florida.

Michael J. Rosen is the creator of a wide variety of more than 150 books for both adults and young readers. A poet, fiction- and non-fiction writer, humorist, illustrator, and editor. For over 45 years, ever since working as a counselor, youth-services director, and teacher at local community centers, Michael has engaged with children, parents, and teachers. He has taught poetry and other forms of creative expression at literature conferences, colleges, libraries, and many nontraditional learning environments. As a visiting author, in-service speaker, and workshop leader, he has traveled to well over 700 schools and conferences around the nation.He lives on a 50-acres in the foothills of Appalachia, east of Columbus where he served for nearly 20 years as literary director of The Thurber House, a cultural center in James’s restored boyhood home.

Beck Rourke-Mooney grew up outside Providence and has worked as clambake staff, a donut finisher, a ballot counting machine tester, a telemarketer, and most importantly, a middle school English teacher. When not writing contemporary YA novels, they procrasti-bake, write songs, and watch (depending on who you ask) either way too much or just enough television, including, of course, wrestling. She lives in upstate New York.

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Jessica Ruan is an author and illustrator born in Seattle, and based in Boston. She is currently the Alan Andres Illustrated Children's Book Fellow at the Boston Public Library for her manuscript A Hundred Thousand. Her work, painted in gouache, acrylic, ink and colored pencil, draws from her upbringing in the landscapes from the Pacific Northwest and her experience growing up Chinese-American. She loves stories of nature, of joy, of things that are tenderly human.

Jessica received her BFA in Illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she found her love for picture books and children's literature.

A novelist, playwright, and screenwriter, Rudnick has written three books and frequently writes for The New Yorker. His articles and essays have also appeared in the New York Times, Vogue, Esquire, Vanity Fair, and Spy. His screenplays include InandOut and Addams Family Values, and his plays include I Hate Hamlet. Using the pseudonym Libby Gelman-Waxner, Rudnick wrote film criticism for Premiere magazine.

Adi likes writing books for young people and adults, animal rescue, singing, and games of all kinds, whether tabletop or console. She has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and a BA in voice from UNH. Adi is a faculty member of the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program at Lasell University. She lives in the Granite State with two cats who tolerate each other, a blue and gold macaw, a magician, and a small but feisty flock of chickens.

Katheryn Russell-Brown is a children’s book author, Professor of Law, and Director of the Race and Crime Center for Justice at the University of Florida. She is the author of the picture book biographies Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, illustrated by Frank Morrison, which received the Coretta Scott King Honor for Illustration, the Eureka! Honor Award, and was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature; A Voice Named Aretha, illustrated by Laura Freeman, which was named a Best Book of the Year by The Brown Bookshelf; and She Was the First! The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm, illustrated by Eric Velasquez, which won the 2021 NAACP Image Award and was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews and The Chicago Public Library, and included in the Rise: A Feminist Book Project List. Katheryn was born in New York City and grew up in Oakland, California. She lives in Gainesville, Florida.

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Geo Rutherford is an artist, educator, and hobby limnologist based in Wisconsin. She is known for her viral TikTok account @geodesaurus.

Aminah Mae Safi is the author of four novels, including Tell Me How You Really Feel (Feiwel & Friends) and the forthcoming Travelers Along the Way: a Robin Hood Remix (Feiwel & Friends, 2022). She’s an erstwhile art historian, a fan of Cholula on popcorn, and an un-ironic lover of the Fast and the Furious franchise. Her writing has been featured on Bustle and Salon and her award-winning short stories can be found in Fresh Ink (Crown Books) and the forthcoming Freshman Orientation (Candlewick Press, 2023).

Andrés Salguero and Christina Sanabria are the Latin Grammy-winning music duo 123 Andrés. Their catchy songs and lively concerts get the whole family dancing and learning, in Spanish and English.

Rob Sanders is a teacher who writes and a writer who teaches. He is known for his funny and fierce fiction and nonfiction picture books and is recognized as one of the pioneers in the arena of LGBTQ+ literary nonfiction picture books. 

A native of Springfield, Missouri, he has lived in Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee. After earning a B.S. in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Religious Education, Rob worked for fifteen years in children’s religious educational publishing as a writer, educational consultant, trainer, editor, editorial group manager, and product developer.

In 2006, Rob moved to Florida and began working as an elementary school teacher. Soon he was serving as a district writing trainer and resource teacher. But he spent most of his career teaching fourth graders about books and words and reading and writing. Rob now writes full time.

Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of more than 25 beloved books for young people, including the highly-acclaimed, Caldecott-honored ALL THE WORLD and many other picture books, two middle grade novels, and the BIBSY CROSS chapter book series. Liz serves on faculty for Whale Rock Workshops and lives in Austin, Texas.

Kelly Rice Schmitt is a mom in STEM writing for curious kids of all ages! She loves getting little humans excited about BIG ideas and believes that children are often far more capable than grown-ups assume. A former energy trader, Kelly is an advocate for girls in STEM and business. Combining a love of writing with her STEAM background, Kelly creates books to inspire the next generation of leaders and innovators.

Kelly studied Finance, Chinese, and English at the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!) where she also sang and performed in musicals. Her award-winning picture books include, I Ship, a Science Friday 2023 Best STEM book for Kids and 2023 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner; I Fuel, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Award winner, and I TRUCK, which received a Booklist starred review. Kelly lives in North Carolina with her family and many piles of books, and can be found on social media at @krschmittwrites.

Claire Schultz was born and raised in New Jersey but moved to the UK to study children's literature. Claire works primarily in the intersection of fantasy, horror, and literary fiction, and also writes Young Adult fiction as Claire Rose. A PhD student by day, she lives in Edinburgh with her haunted cats.

Award-winning author Elizabeth Shreeve writes children’s books that celebrate the history and diversity of life on Earth. Elizabeth grew up on the Atlantic Coast in a family of scientists and storytellers. She majored in geology at Harvard College, where she studied with renowned scientists Stephen Jay Gould and E.O. Wilson and snuck into art history classes whenever possible. While at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Elizabeth worked at the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis in Turkey and fell in love with the wonders of the ancient world. She went on to a career in urban design and now writes full-time, aiming for stories that spark curiosity and engage young readers to each other and to the natural world. When not visiting schools or researching a new book, Elizabeth lives in northern California with her family, including Hector the PaleoDog. Visit her at https://elizabethshreeve.com/, YouTube: Elizabeth Shreeve Books, How Now Booking, and @ShreeveBooks.

New York Times-bestselling author Dashka Slater has been described as a “triple threat” for her success in journalism, adult fiction, and children’s literature. The author of many books of fiction and nonfiction for children, teenagers, and adults, her work has been translated into more than fifteen languages and has won numerous awards, including the 2024 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award gold medal for Accountable, the 2023 Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Award for her short story, The Jeanines of Summer, and the 2018 Wanda Gág Read Aloud Award for her picture book, Escargot.

Her books for younger children include the beloved Escargot picture book series, The Feylawn Chronicles middle grade fantasy series, and The Antlered Ship, which received four starred reviews and was named one of the best picture books of the year by Amazon.com. Her New York Times best-selling young-adult true crime narrative, The 57 Bus, has received numerous accolades, including the Stonewall Book Award, and was named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time. Her latest nonfiction narrative, Accountable, was the first young adult title to ever receive the prestigious J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize from the Columbia Journalism School and Harvard’s Neiman Foundation for Journalism, and received numerous additional awards.

Katie Slivensky is an enthusiastic science presenter and the critically acclaimed author of middle grade sci-fi novels, THE COUNTDOWN CONSPIRACY and THE SEISMIC SEVEN, and natural history themed picture books, THIS WOLF WAS DIFFERENT, illustrated by Hannah Salyer, and I, ROCK, illustrated by Steph Stilwell. She is a professional science educator who has worked in zoos and museums since age eleven. Her love of learning has resulted in a lifetime of adventures, including helping separate fighting rhinos, falling down a cliff in search of fossils, flying an astronaut through the solar system (the astronaut was real, the solar system was a simulation), raising a stranded baby mouse, creating million-volt lightning bolts, and handling feisty alligators. She is a firm believer that science and adventure are for everyone, and that kids have a lot to teach adults about how to take care of our world.

Tamara Ellis Smith is a children’s book author who writes middle grade fiction and picture books. Her middle grades novel ANOTHER KIND OF HURRICANE was a Vermont Book Award finalist, and her picture books HERE AND THERE and GRIEF IS AN ELEPHANT are used in classrooms and libraries as resources for kids dealing with tough life issues. Her newest book, BUBBLE TOWN, is an interactive chapter book from Choose Your Own Adventure.

Tam is a graduate of New York University’s Playwriting MFA program, as well as Vermont College of Fine Arts’ Writing for Children and Young Adults program. She lives in Richmond, Vermont with her family and loves to run on the river trail with her dog, as well as bake (and eat) anything that combines chocolate and peanut butter.

Cheyenne Smith is an author-illustrator beating the heat in Austin, Texas. She got her start in comics as an editorial cartoonist and has gone on to publish work in The Washington Post, genre anthologies, zines, and more. With a love for all things spooky and sappy, Cheyenne's work celebrates girlhood, friendship, magic, first love, bumps in the night, and the painful comedy of growing up. She's currently working on her first YA graphic novel and is the editor-in-chief of the horror anthology, Splintermouth.

Sondra Soderborg writes contemporary middle grade novels. Her debut, Sky Ropes, is a 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee Great Words, Great Works selection for 6th grade and a 2024 winner of the Friends of American Writers Young Peoples Literature Award.

Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Anna Staniszewski grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. She was a Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library and a winner of the Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award. Currently, Anna lives south of Boston with her family and teaches courses on writing and children’s literature. When she’s not writing, Anna spends her time reading, daydreaming, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. She is the author of over thirty books for young readers, including the novels Clique Here and The Wonder of Wildflowers; the picture books Beast in Show and My Cousin’s Mermaid; and the Once Upon a Fairy Tale chapter book series.

Caren Stelson is the author of works for children and young adults. Caren has had a long career in education, as a teacher, writer-in-residence, freelance writer, and advocate for peace education. After receiving her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Hamline University in 2009, Caren decided it was time to write the stories that needed her attention. She often shares difficult history in ways young readers can begin to better understand their world. Accolades for her books include a Robert Sibert Honor Award, placement on the longlist for the National Book Award, the Jane Addams Book Award, and School Library Journal Best Book. Caren and her husband Kim live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They have two grown children and three grandchildren.

Isaiah Stephens is a freelance illustrator and animator located in Lowell, MA. He studied Media Arts and Animation at the New England Institute of Art, and has illustrated book jackets for the Italian translation of The Hunger Games, the novel The Devil Came East, and others.

Chana Stiefel is the award-winning author of more than 30 books for children, both fiction and nonfiction. Her most recent picture book is Let’s Fly!, co-written with Captain Barrington Irving, who broke the record as the youngest person and first Black man to fly solo around the world. The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs received many honors, including the 2023 Sydney Taylor Book Award, a Robert F. Sibert Honor, the Margaret Wise Brown Prize, and the Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children’s Literature. Chana’s other titles include Let Liberty Rise: How America’s Schoolchildren Helped Save the Statue of Liberty (nominated for the California Young Reader Medal 2025-2026), My Name is Wakawakaloch (nominated for the UNICEF Prize in Children’s Literature), as well as Mendel’s Hanukkah Mess Up, Bravo, Avocado, and Daddy Depot. Chana loves to visit schools and libraries to share her passion for reading and writing with children. She is represented by agent Miranda Paul. Learn more at chanastiefel.com.

Nancy Stone writes for humans of all ages. Her short fiction and verse for adults have appeared in many literary journals; her debut middle grade novel, GLOW, is forthcoming from Marble Press in 2026.

Kara Storti knew she wanted to be a writer when she decided to skip her junior prom to attend the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference in Middlebury, Vermont. In the years following she spent most of her free time writing short stories, novellas, and poems, and composing pop songs. In 2006 she graduated from the University of Southern Maine with an MFA in Creative Writing, where she fell in love with writing novels for young adults. Kara has been a singer, songwriter, pianist, and flautist since she was a child and has performed throughout the world. She grew up in upstate New York and now resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

Suma Subramaniam is the author of several children’s books including the V. Malar series (Candlewick Press, 2024, 2025, 2027), My Name Is Long As A River (Penguin Workshop, 2024), and Crystal Kite Award Winner, Namaste Is A Greeting (Candlewick Press, 2022). Her poems have been published in the Young People's Poetry edition of Poetry Magazine from Poetry Foundation. She is a volunteer at We Need Diverse Books and SCBWI Western Washington. When she’s not writing, she’s blogging about children’s books. Suma has an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Visit her website at https://sumasubramaniam.com to learn more.

Ellen Surrey is an illustrator out of sunny Los Angeles, California. Blending her love of mid-century design and vintage children’s books, Ellen enjoys finding beauty in the past and colorfully sharing it with a contemporary audience. She’s illustrated many books about inspiring people, including Dolly Parton! Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and most recently as USPS postage stamps. When she isn’t working, Ellen enjoys watching old movies and visiting her favorite thrift stores. Coming soon with Nosy Crow, a companion to THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU AN ARTIST, titled THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU A SCIENTIST!

Kon Tan was raised in The Bronx, and from an early age he was obsessed with dinosaurs, monster movies, and superheroes. Unfortunately, one day he grew up, but he was lucky to find work as a teacher, bookseller, and animator. He is afraid of the ocean but proud to have conquered his fear of heights and riding a bike. He promises himself he will eventually learn how to swim. You can see more of his art on his website www.KonsComics.com or follow him on Instagram @KonsComics.

Ellen Tarlow writes stories for very young children. Her published children’s books include, most recently, LOOKING FOR SMILE and BECOMING BLUE. She has been a classroom teacher and for many years worked as an editor of early childhood classroom materials. In that job she got to write hundreds of stories for young children. Now that she is working less, she is excited to work on her own stories. After spending her whole adult life in New York City, Ellen just moved to the Hudson Valley with her husband David, a painter.

Sarah Stewart Taylor is a fiction writer and journalist who lives with her family on a farm in Vermont; her published mysteries include the Maggie d’Arcy series, starting with The Mountains Wild, the Sweeney St. George mystery series (the first book in the series, O’ Artful Death, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel), The Expeditioners series of adventure novels for middle grade readers, and Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean, a graphic novel for younger readers, which was nominated for an Eisner Award.

Laurie Ann Thompson grew up in the fields and forests of rural northern Wisconsin but now makes her home between the mountains and the sea in western Washington State. A volunteer naturalist, climate advocate, and former software engineer, she writes to help her readers—and herself—better understand the world we all share. Laurie is the author of several award-winning nonfiction books, including Emmanuel’s Dream, winner of the ALA Schneider Family Book Award and Odyssey Audiobook Honor. She is usually trapped under her dog, Louie, and/or her cat Thor.

Leah Tinari is a widely exhibited New York based artist. Since graduating from RISD in 1998, Tinari has documented her life and friends through painting the capture the energy and exuberance of her surroundings.

Originally from Hong Kong, Tony grew up in beautiful Northeast Ohio, and now calls California home. He works in engineering product design for toys and high tech. If Tony isn’t working or writing, you can almost always find him hanging out with his kids, tinkering in his garage, or both.