Fran Manushkin is the author of over 100 books, including the popular Katie Woo series, as well “Happy In Our Skin,” and the best-selling board books “Big Girl Panties” and “Big Boy Underpants.” She loves to meet her readers! www.franmanushkin.com
1. I’ve written over 100 books.
2. I am always singing songs in my head.
3. I need chocolate every day!
Elanna Allen is the author most recently of Pet Dad and Poor Little Guy. She graduated from Brown University and studied animation and illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. She has designed characters and directed animation for Disney Junior, Nick Jr, and PBS. She lives in New York City with her husband and two boys, and is currently learning to play the ukulele. elannaallen.com
1. Elanna designed characters and directed animation for Disney
2. She lives in New York City with her husband and two boys
3. Elanna is learning to play the ukulele.
Ismée Williams is a pediatric cardiologist who trained and practiced at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City for 15 years. She lives in New York with her husband and three daughters as well as a dog who is commonly mistaken for a muppet. Water in May is her first novel. www.ismeewilliams.com
1. Ismee is a pediatric cardiologist and the book is based on her experience in the field.
2. Her mother is a Cuba immigrant and she was raised by her abuelos, which also informed Mari’s familial relationships in the book
3. Her labradoodle has a larger Instagram following than she does: https://www.instagram.com/redrowandoodle
Barbara Lehman mostly makes wordless children’s picture books. Readers can use their own words to tell the stories! She has shared her books with children at the Whitney Museum of American Art and at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, and her illustrations have been included in exhibitions at The Art Institute of Chicago and the Central Children’s Room of the New York Public Library. THE RED BOOK was awarded a Caldecott Honor. She attended Pratt Institute, and now is based in Albany NY. www.barbaralehmanbooks.com
Awards
– Caldecott Honor
– New York Times Bestseller List
– ALA Notable Books
– Junior Library Guild Selections
– Horn Book Fanfare List
– Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year
– Kirkus Best Children’s Books,
– New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing,
– Parent’s Choice Gold
– Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year.
– Premio Andersen [Italy]
1. I like making books with the word RED in the title
2. I hope they get read a lot
3. I also like puns!
Leila Sales is the author of six young adult and middle grade novels, including This Song Will Save Your Life, Once Was a Time, and, most recently, If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say. Leila grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Chicago. Her hobbies include riding her bike, eating chocolate, and sleeping. Leila lives in Brooklyn, New York, and works in children’s book publishing. Follow her @LeilaSalesBooks or at leilasales.com.
1.I type using only two fingers.
2. I did gymnastics for eight years.
3. I can recite the names of every student in my high school class in alphabetical order.
Jessie Janowitz is a graduate of Princeton University’s undergraduate creative writing program and holds a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School. She’s currently in the Writing for Children MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. The Doughnut Fix is her debut novel and the first book in a middle grade series. She lives in New York City with her husband and three children. www.jessiejanowitz.com
1. I love the machines that I grew up with but that we don’t use anymore, like air poppers, typewriters, and cassette players, and I try to sneak them into my stories.
2. I never baked anything until I had kids, not even chocolate chip cookies.
3. I hate bats (the flying kind).
Josh Funk is a software engineer and the author of 20 picture books including the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, How to Code a Sandcastle, Dear Unicorn, Dear Dragon, My Pet Feet, the It’s Not a Fairy Tale series, Lost in the Library, and more. Since the fall of 2015, Josh has presented (or virtually presented) at over 800 schools, classrooms, and libraries and over 300 bookshops, book festivals, and conferences. For more information about Josh, visit him at joshfunkbooks.com and on social media at @joshfunkbooks.
8x Indie Kids’ Next List Selection (including ATTACK OF THE SCONES)
Multiple starred reviews
2024-25 Sunshine State Young Readers Award Jr. Title (MY PET FEET)
2024-25 Young Hoosier Picture Book Award Nominee (MY PET FEET)
2023 Massachusetts Book Award Must-Read Picture Book (MY PET FEET)
2022 Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Read This Next! Title (MY PET FEET)
2020 Mississippi Magnolia State Award Short List (LOST IN THE LIBRARY)
2020 Wisconsin Golden Archer Award Nominee (LOST IN THE LIBRARY)
2019 International Literacy Association (ILA) Teacher’s Choice Reading List (HOW TO CODE A SANDCASTLE)
2018 Smithsonian Ten Best Children’s Books (HOW TO CODE A SANDCASTLE)
2018-19 Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) Show Me Readers Award Nominee (DEAR DRAGON)
2018-19 Indiana Library Federation (ILF) Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee (DEAR DRAGON)
2017-18 Maine Chickadee Award Nominee (DEAR DRAGON)
2017 Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year (DEAR DRAGON)
2017 International Literacy Association (ILA) Teacher’s Choice Reading List (DEAR DRAGON)
1. Josh plays guitar and sings in all of the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast musical book trailers.
2. Josh has visited over 800 schools and libraries (both in-person and virtually) since 2015.
3. Josh is vegan.
Leslie Connor is the author of the middle grade novels, Crunch, Waiting for Normal, winner of the ALA Schneider Family Book Award, All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, a finalist for the E.B. White Read Aloud Award, The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, a National Book Award finalist and winner of the ALA Schneider Family Book Award, and A Home for Goddesses and Dogs. Leslie’s most recent title is Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? about an unusual pair of devoted friends. She lives with her husband and two rescue dogs in a little house in the Connecticut woods. www.leslieconnor.com
Finalist for the National Book Award
Two-time winner of the ALA Schneider Family Book Award.
1. I’m surprised that I’m a writer.
2. I eat weird things like peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.
3. I love being upside down.
Jennifer Roy is the best-selling, multiple award-winning author of YELLOW STAR. Her books MINDBLIND, JARS OF HOPE and PLAYING ATARI WITH SADDAM HUSSEIN also won numerous awards. Roy also co-authored the TRADING FACES series with her twin sister Julia DeVillers. Jennifer‘s latest books are for American Girl, where she and her twin wrote the books for the first historical twin dolls – NICKI and ISABEL! Roy’s books, NICKI’S JOURNAL and MEET ISABEL AND NICKI, were published in February and August 2023, along with the dolls and merchandise they helped envision. Roy lives in Saratoga Springs, New York with her family.
YELLOW STAR – Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award, New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, National Jewish Book Awards Finalist, School Library Journal Best Book, Sydney Taylor Book Awards Honor Book, ALA Notable Children’s Book, William Allen White Award (Kansas State), Lamplighter Award AudioFiles “Headphones Award” (Recorded Books), and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and School Library Journal. MINDBLIND received a starred review from Booklist and was a ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults. It was also on numerous state book lists. JARS OF HOPE – Magnolia Book Award. PLAYING ATARI WITH SADDAM HUSSEIN – Sunshine State Young Readers Award Books 2019-2020 List for Grades 6-8 and Bank Street Books Best Children’s Books of the Year.
1. I’m a twin author!
2. I have a rescue pug named Bridget!
3. I love to paint!
Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 180 nonfiction books for children, including Can an Aardvark Bark?; No Monkeys, No Chocolate; and Feathers: Not Just for Flying. She holds a degree in biology from Union College in Schenectady, NY, and a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University. Melissa believes that nothing brings nonfiction writing to life like firsthand research. While gathering information for her books, she has explored tropical rain forests in Costa Rica, gone on safari in East Africa, and swum with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands. www.melissa-stewart.com
1. My favorite research experience was observing hippos from a hot air balloon floating over the African savannah.
2. I often write in my pajamas.
3. My favorite punctuation mark is the question mark because I’m so curious.
