Authors & Illustrators Attending the 2025 Book Festival
2025 Author Applications will be available in January 2025 for our 2025 festival! Please follow us on our social media platforms for updates and return to this page to see who will be attending in 2025!
We’re always adding new authors and illustrators to our listing! Please check back often to see who’s coming! You can look for your favorite author by clicking a letter — the listing will then sort by the last name of the authors. Click the “#” to reset the listing to ALL!
Balkan, Gabrielle
Gabrielle Balkan‘s non-fiction picture books delight readers ages 0-12 with curious and essential facts about the United States, animal record-breakers, and ground-breaking artists. Learn about the best place to see a hot dog eating contest, falling dino poop, mapping your tummy, and what eye of newt really is, in her books The 50 States, Book of Dinosaurs, What a Map Can Do, and How to Be a Witch. When she’s not puzzling over how to explain complex topics to readers, Gabe loves visiting classrooms and brainstorming with kids. Visit her at www.gabriellebalkan.com and @gabriellebalkan.
Awards
International Literacy Association Teacher’s Choice Pick (2018)
A Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List Title (2019)
Indiana Authors Award Shortlist title (2022)
Indiana Authors Award Shortlist title (2020)
3 Fun Facts
1. I once sat on a cactus, by mistake.
2. I have licked a dino coprolite on a dare.
3. I reread The Golden Compass every year‚ sometimes twice a year!
Bean, Cara
Cara Bean is an obsessive doodler, author, and art educator. Here I Am, I Am Me: An Illustrated Guide to Mental Health is her first book for adolescents. She is also the author of Draw 500 Faces and Features, and her work has been featured in Pen America Illustrated, The Women’s Review of Books, and Teaching Arts Magazine. Cara enjoys watching the beginning of complex ideas emerge from the simple act of doodling on paper. She provides interactive workshops on creativity with people of all ages and backgrounds in various public forums. Cara lives on the Southcoast of Massachusetts with her partner Matt and their dog Raisin. https://www.carabeancomics.com/
Awards
2018 Liminka Comics Center Resident, Oulu, Finland
2019 Cornish Center for Cartoon Studies Fellow, Cornish, New Hampshire, USA
3 Fun Facts
1. I love drawing squirrels.
2. It annoys me when erasers on pencils leave a mark on the paper instead of erasing.
3. I am always searching for the perfect green hoodie.
Blackall, Sophie
Sophie Blackall, AM is an award-winning illustrator of over 50 books for children, including the New York Times best-selling Ivy and Bean series, the 2016 Caldecott Medal winner, Finding Winnie and the 2019 Caldecott Medal winner, Hello Lighthouse, which she also wrote. She is the five-time recipient of The New York Times Best Illustrated Picture Book Award and has worked with UNICEF and Save the Children, UK on global health and literacy initiatives. Originally from Australia, she now splits her time between Brooklyn, New York, and the Catskill Mountains, where she and her husband run a retreat for the children’s book community called Milkwood Farm. www.sophieblackall.com
Awards
Caldecott Medal 2016
Caldecott Medal 2019
Five time recipient of New York Times Best-Illustrated children’s book award
3 Fun Facts
1. Sophie Blackall turned a dilapidated 19th century dairy farm into a retreat for the children’s book community, called Milkwood.
2. She collects vintage tiny furniture.
3. She still calls Australia home.
Bontigao, Lynnor
Lynnor Bontigao is the author-illustrator of SARI-SARI SUMMERS, her picture book debut. She is proud to have illustrated the HCBF 2024 poster. Lynnor illustrated 3 books in 2024: AT THE END OF THE DAY by Lisl H. Detlefsen(a JLG selection), KAILANI’S GIFT by Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young, & SEASHELL KEY(a 2024 CPL Best Fiction for Younger Readers) by Lourdes Heuer. Lynnor also illustrated THE WORLD’S BEST CLASS PLANT (one of Kirkus Reviews’ Best Picture Books of 2023) by award-winning authors Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick. Lynnor will have 2 more illustrated chapter books in 2025. She is currently working on book projects with Minh Lê coming out 2026 & Jean Reidy coming out 2027. www.lynnorbontigao.com
Awards
2024 Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Young Readers(SEASHELL KEY by Lourdes Heuer), 2023 Kirkus Best Picture Book (THE WORLD’S BEST CLASS PLANT by Liz Garton Scanlon & Audrey Vernick), 2020 IBPA Gold Winner(Jack & Agyu by Justine Villanueva), 2020 SCBWI Tomie dePaola Professional Development Award, 2020 Kweli Emerging Voice,
3 Fun Facts
1. I love watching KDramas.
2. I am learning to play the ukulele.
3. I can say Thank You in 17 languages.
Castaldo, Nancy F.
Nancy F. Castaldo is an environmental educator and award-winning author, who has written books about our planet for over 20 years from New York’s Hudson Valley. Her books include The Farm That Feeds Us, The Story of Seeds, and Sniffer Dogs. www.nancycastaldo.com @NCastaldoAuthor
Awards
American Bookseller Pick of the Lists
Smithsonian Notable Book For Children
NSTA Outstanding Science Trade title
SCBWI Crystal Kite Awards
Green Earth Book Award
Junior Library Guild Selections
Sigurd F. Olsen honors for nature writing
Eureka Nonfiction Honor, CA Reading Association
Nerdy Book Club Award for Longform Nonfiction
Dorothy Canfield Fisher VT
Bank Street Best Books of the Year
Booklist Top 10 Sci-Tech Books for Youth
Maine Cream of the Crop List
NYC Reads 365 – 5th Grade List
New York State Outdoor Education Association’s Art and Literature Award for the body of her work.
3 Fun Facts
Certifications:
1. Certified National Geographic Educator
2. Project Wild Certified
3. Project WET Trained (NSTA Approved)
Chan, Ruth
Ruth Chan is an author and illustrator of comics and books for children including her graphic memoir Uprooted. Prior to illustrating full time, she spent her teens in China and a decade working with youth and families in underserved communities. She is a proud Canadian and lives and works in NYC. ohtruth.com
Awards
Cybils Award Finalist for Graphic Novels 2024
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2024
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2024
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2024
A New York Magazine Best Book of 2024
An NPR Best Book of 2024
A Common Sense Media Best Book of 2024
3 Fun Facts
1. I am really bad at math!
2. I once had seven milkshakes in one day.
3. I live by the beach… in New York City
Dee, Barbara
Barbara Dee is the award-winning author of fifteen middle grade novels published by Simon & Schuster, including Tear This Down, Unstuck, Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet, Violets Are Blue, My Life in the Fish Tank, Maybe He Just Likes You, Star-Crossed and Halfway Normal. Her books have been named to many best-of lists, including the Washington Post’s Best Children’s Books of the Year, the ALA Notable Children’s Books, the ALA Rise List, the ALA Rainbow List Top Ten, and SLJ’s Best Books of the Year. She lives in Chappaqua, NY. www.BarbaraDeeBooks.com.
Awards
Winner of the 2024 Rip Van Winkle Award from the School Library Media Specialists of Southeastern NY; Winner of New Jersey’s 2024 Garden State Book Award, Grades 6-8; Washington Post’s Best Children’s Books of the Year; ALA Notable Children’s Books; ALA Rainbow List Top Ten; School Library Journal Best Books of the Year: Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year
3 Fun Facts
1. I’m a diehard Yankees fan.
2. I’m obsessed with the band Radiohead.
3. When I write I have to eat a specific type of cookie. My local grocery store doesn’t always have them, so sometimes I have to order them online.
Funk, Josh
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.
Awards
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)
3 Fun Facts
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.
Groenink, Chuck
Chuck Groenink is an illustrator and more recently an author of picture books. He has worked with publishers in the US and Europe on over two dozen children’s books since 2010. He strives to make books that reflect his curiosity about the world we live in. www.chuckgroenink.com
Awards
Recipient of the Fiep Westendorp prize in the Netherlands. My most recent books have been awarded Junior Library Guild gold selections, and my book Full Moon Pups is a Dolly Parton Imagination Library selection.
3 Fun Facts
1. Despite my very American first name, I am in fact, from the Netherlands.
2. I almost always put one of my cats in any book I work on.
3. I can hypnotize a chicken.
Ho, Jannie
Jannie Ho is an author, illustrator, and cartoonist. Some of her books include Bear and Chicken and The Lost Mitten, which was named an ALA Best Graphic Novel for Children and a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. She is also the illustrator of the graphic novel series Fry Guys. She lives in Massachusetts with her family. http://www.chickengirldesign.com
Awards
ALA Best Graphic Novel for Children
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
3 Fun Facts
1. I’m known as Chicken Girl because I love chickens.
2. My favorite character in FRY GUYS is Mayor Spud.
3. I have a pet fish named Sir Bubbles.
Hood, Susan
Susan Hood is the award-winning author of many books for young readers, including ADA’S VIOLIN; ALIAS ANNA; DOUBLE TAKE, HARBORING HOPE; THE LAST STRAW: Kids vs. Plastics; LIFEBOAT 12; SHAKING THINGS UP: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World; and WE ARE ONE: How the World Adds Up. Before launching a full-time writing career, Susan worked as an editor and writer at Scholastic, Sesame Workshop, and Nick Jr.
Susan enjoys spending her summers on the water—swimming, kayaking, and sailing with her husband, daughters, and grandchildren along the New England coast. Visit Susan at susanhoodbooks.com
Awards
Susan is the recipient of the E.B. White Honor Award, two Christopher Awards, the Américas Award, the SCBWI Golden Kite Award, and two Bank Street Flora Stieglitz Straus Awards, given to “a distinguished work of nonfiction that serves as an inspiration to young people.” Susan’s books have won many state reading awards and been honored as Bank Street Best Books of the Year and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. Selected titles have been named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book, a NCTE Notable Poetry Book, a NSTA Best Stem Book of the Year, and an Amazon Teachers’ Pick.
3 Fun Facts
1. My great, great grandfather was a lighthouse keeper.
2. I was the youngest child in my hometown with a library card.
3. I’ve had lunch with Big Bird.
Katz, Alan
Alan Katz has written 50+ highly acclaimed books for young readers. A frequent presenter at regional and national conferences/festivals, his titles include Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs, Got Your Nose!, OOPS!, Zooloween, The Funniest Joke Book Ever for Kids, and The Mysterious Missing Matzoh. Alan is the co-author (with the Today Show’s Dylan Dreyer) of Misty the Cloud, a NYT bestseller.
Alan is also a six-time Emmy-nominated writer for TV series including The Rosie O’Donnell Show, several Nickelodeon and PBS Kids series, animated shows Pinkalicious and Taz-Mania, the Grammy Awards and the Tony Awards. Visit him at alankatzbooks.com
Awards
Current nominee for Sunshine State Young Readers Award (Got Your Nose).
Utah Children’s Poetry Book Award Winner, North Carolina Children’s Book Award Winner, Colorado Grand Canyon Reader Award Winner
3 Fun Facts
1. I have a brand new granddog…a dachshund named Vinnie–the first dog anyone in my family has ever owned.
2. I have never eaten a pickle or had a cup of tea
3. I bowled on TV when I was in college
LaRocca, Rajani
Rajani LaRocca was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in the Boston area, where she practices medicine and writes award-winning books for young readers, including the Newbery Honor winning middle grade novel in verse, Red, White, and Whole. She’s always been an omnivorous reader, and now she is an omnivorous writer of fiction and nonfiction, novels and picture books, prose and poetry. She finds inspiration in her family, her childhood, the natural world, math, science, and just about everywhere she looks. Learn more about Rajani and her books at www.RajaniLaRocca.com.
Awards
Newbery Honor, Walter Dean Myers Award, Massachusetts Book Award, New England Book Award, SCBWI Golden Kite Award, SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title, NCTE Notable Poetry Book, among many state lists and other awards
3 Fun Facts
1. I’m a practicing doctor
2. I love to cook and bake
3. I have a cute fluffy dog
Lukoff, Kyle
Kyle Lukoff is the author of many books for young readers. His debut middle-grade novel, Too Bright To See, received a Newbery honor, the Stonewall award, and was a National Book Award finalist. His picture book When Aidan Became A Brother also won the Stonewall, and his book Call Me Max has been banned in schools across the country. He has forthcoming books about history, unicycles, breakups, and lots of other topics. While becoming a writer he worked as a bookseller for ten years, and then nine more years as a school librarian. kylelukoff.com
Awards
National Book Award finalist, Newbery honor, two Stonewall awards.
3 Fun Facts
1. I love climbing trees.
2. My kitchen is filled with foraged and/or fermented food experiments.
3. My bike is named Sheila and my car is named Carol.
Mack, Jeff
Jeff Mack is the award-winning author and illustrator of fifty books for young readers. His titles include Good News Bad News, Hush Little Polar Bear, Duck in the Fridge, and The Dog & Pony Show.
His recent series of picture book biographies include Art is Everywhere, Marcel’s Masterpiece, and Time To Make Art.
He has also illustrated James Howe’s Bunnicula and Friends, Eve Bunting’s Hurry Hurry, and The Cryptid Club series by TV writer/producer, Michael Brumm.
He travels widely to schools and libraries sharing his love of creating books with young readers.
Visit him at www.jeffmack.com.
Awards
2024 Junior Library Guild Selections: Dog Gets A Pet, We Are Up A Tree
2013 Texas 2×2: Frog & Fly, Good News Bad News, Cindy Moo
2014 Junior Library Guild Selections: Frog & Fly
2014 NYPL Best Books: AhHa!
2015 Colorado Bell Award: The Things I Can Do
3 Fun Facts
1. My favorite children’s book author/illustrator is William Steig.
2. I named Clueless McGee after my dog McGee.
3. Clueless McGee was originally going to be about a dog who wears pajamas and solves mysteries, but I didn’t want it to be like Scooby-Doo. So I turned the dog into a fifth-grade boy.
Maldonado, Torrey
Torrey Maldonado, born and raised in Brooklyn’s Red Hook, approaches 30 years of teaching in NYC public schools. His fast-paced stories draw from his and his students’ lives. His popular Hands, Tight, and What Lane? are Junior Library Guild Gold Selections, won multiple awards, earned starred reviews, and are on “Best Book of the Year” and states’ lists. Hands is this year’s Global Read Aloud. His debut, Secret Saturdays, remains popular over a decade later. Oprah and the New York Times praised What Lane? as essential in showing friendship and allyship. Discover more at torreymaldonado.com or on social media @torreymaldonado
3 Fun Facts
1. By third grade, I was hooked on comic books. By fourteen, I had almost two hundred collectibles. I also had a cat named Snow White and she peed on and scratched my collection down to fifty comics. So I secretly wish I had the super power of pausing and redirecting pets to prevent them from damaging things we love.
2. I love Scrabble and word games. No one in a five mile radius can beat me in Scrabble OR no one in a five mile radius would enjoy losing as much as me in Scrabble. Stop by my table for a Scrabble match!
3. As a teen, for about a month, I taped my ears to my head with black electrical tape because I thought that would flatten my big ears. Did it work? Visit and let me know if my head has caught up with my ears.
Parra, John
John Parra is an award-winning artist, illustrator, author, and educator, best known for his Latino themed children’s picture books. https://www.johnparraart.com/
Awards
CSMCL’s Best Multicultural Books of 2024, Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, NY Society of Illustrators, Original Art Show Selection, “Starred Review” Kirkus Review
Fun Facts
I like to play guitar, travel, and eat good food.
Preller, James
James Preller lives in Delmar, NY, and has been publishing books for young readers for almost 40 years. His books are suitable for readers from PreK to Young Adult, and include series such as Jigsaw Jones and Scary Tales, as well as these individual titles: Bystander, Upstander, Blood Mountain, and Six Innings. His newest middle-grade title, Shaken (2024), centers around a 7th-grade soccer player, Kristy Barrett, who suffers from post-concussion syndrome. Preller enjoys visiting schools, hoping to inspire a love of reading and writing. www.jamespreller.com
Awards
James Preller has received many accolades over the years, including a YALSA, and ALA NOTABLE, and New York Public Library’s Best Books for Reading and Sharing, numerous State Awards and Junior Library Guild Selections.
3 Fun Facts
1. James Preller loves hiking.
2. James Preller loves baseball.
3. James Preller loves reading.
Probert, Tim
Tim Probert is an author and illustrator. He is the creator of Lightfall, an all ages fantasy adventure graphic novel series. He has illustrated the D&D Dungeon Academy series, as well as several other books. Tim was also an art director at the animation studio Nathan Love for ten years, working on all sorts of short form projects. He lives in upstate New York with his wife Jodi and their two cats. https://timprobert.com
Awards
Harvey Award Nominee – Best Book and Best Children’s Book
Kirkus Reviews ‘Best Book’ for Lightfall Book 1, all three books received starred reviews
Junior Library Guild Selection for all three Lightfall books
Nominated for the ‘Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award’ at the 2023 Eisner Awards at San Diego Comic Con
3 Fun Facts
1. I live in a straw bale house with only a wood stove for heat
2. My favorite comic is ‘Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind’ by Hayao Miyazaki
3. My cats, Beau & Thor, are the inspiration for the characters Boisenberry & Snore in Lightfall
Pullen, Mark David
Mark David Pullen is the author of the middle-grade series The Oasis Chronicles. His debut novel, The Oasis King, was released in February of 2023. Mark combines his love of science fiction and fantasy with action and adventure to create wholesome, fast-paced stories the entire family can enjoy together. Mark lives in Upstate New York with his wife, two children, and crazy old hound dog, Toby. www.theoasisking.com
Awards
PenCraft Literary Award Winner, NYS Book Festival Honorable Mention, Outstanding Creator Award- Winner
3 Fun Facts
1. Loves to cook.
2. Avid Outdoorsman.
3. 90s video games are the best!
Raff, Anna
Anna Raff is an award-winning illustrator of many books for children including PARTY ANIMALS, IF I WERE A KANGAROO, YOU MAKE ME SNEEZE! Her book THE DAY THE UNIVERSE EXPLODED MY HEAD was a Kirkus Best Book of the Year and New York Public Library Best Book. Anna is on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts in the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Program and Illustration Summer Residency. She lives in New York City, where there are reportedly five rats per human resident. www.annaraff.com
Awards
Kirkus Best Book of the Year; NY Public Library Best Book; Starred Reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist; Society of Illustrators: Original Art
3 Fun Facts
1. I can juggle.
2. Orange is my favorite color.
3. I’m allergic to cats and dogs, but I LOVE them!
Reynoso-Morris, Alyssa
Alyssa Reynoso-Morris is a queer Afro-Latine/x Dominican and Puerto Rican award-winning storyteller. Her ability to weave compelling stories has opened many doors for her as an author and speaker. She is also a mother and community organizer. During the day, she works with community members, non-profit organizations, and government officials to make the world a better place. Then she puts her writer’s hat on to craft heartfelt stories about home, family, food, and the fun places she has been. Alyssa was born and raised in The Bronx, New York, and currently lives in Philadelphia, PA, with her family. She is the author of Plátanos Are Love & Los plátanos son amor (a NCTE Charlotte Huck Recommended Read); The Bronx Is My Home; Gloriana Presente: A First Day of School Book & Gloriana Presente: De la República Dominicana al Bronx; Bold, Brilliant and Latine; and Pieces of Home. She hopes you enjoy her stories. You can learn more about her at alyssaauthor.com
Awards
Plátanos Are Love – Recommended Literature List (2024), California’s Department of Education
Plátanos Are Love – KNEA Reading Circle List – Primary Title (2023), Kansas National Education Association
Plátanos Are Love – Charlotte Huck Recommended Read (2023), NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English)
Powerful Latina in Education (2023), Powerful Latina Awards – Presented by El Sol Latino Newspaper and Hispanic Media
Author of the Year Award (2023), Philadelphia Latin American Book Festival
3 Fun Facts
1. I’m bilingual. I speak English and Spanish.
2. I love to travel. I’ve lived in 4 different countries (USA, Dominican Republic, India and Tanzania).
3. I’m a mom of three. I have a 5 year old and 4 month old twins.
Sanchez, Guido A.
Guido A. Sanchez is a writer, middle school principal, comic aficionado, and podcaster based in New York. He nurtures young people as they begin writing the myths of their own lives. After school, he co-hosts “Dear Watchers: The Omniversal Comic Book Podcast” and explores world-building and modern myths with his 30,000+ comic collection.
In 2015, he authored a girls’ puberty textbook still in use today. In 2023, his book Spider-Man: Web of Technology was released with Running Press. In 2024, he published Queer Mythology: Epic Legends from Around the World with the same publisher. http://www.GuidoASanchez.com
Awards
Submitted for awards
Many end of year lists from 2024 from newspapers, websites, podcasts, and book stores
Associated Press gift list
3 Fun Facts
1. I have over 35,000 comics & a comic book podcast.
2. I collect queer history ephemera.
3. My career started in LGBTQ & AIDS service organizations before transitioning into schools.
Teague, Mark
Mark Teague is an author and illustrator of more than 60 children’s books. He lives with his family in the Hudson Valley.
Awards
Parents Choice, Christopher Medal
Vaughan, Pam
Pam Vaughan is the author of picture books, MISSY WANTS A MAMMOTH, illustrated by Ariel Landy (2024 Holiday House/Pixel+Ink) and TENACIOUS WON’T GIVE UP, illustrated by Leanne Hatch (June 2025 Knopf BFYR). She is the Director of the Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat and is the NE-SCBWI co-Assistant Regional Advisor. She lives with her family in central MA amongst turkeys, turtles, deer, and owls but can often be found playing ice hockey. Visit her online at www.pamvaughanauthor.com Pronouns – she/her
3 Fun Facts
1. My sister and I are nine months apart.
2. I have never had a pet mammoth, but I have had dogs and parakeets, and baby sat my friend’s parrot and snake.
3. I can spin a basketball on my finger!
Venkatraman, Padma
Padma Venkatraman is the author of The Bridge Home, Born Behind Bars, A Time to Dance, Island’s End and Climbing the Stairs. Her books have sold over ¼ million copies, received over 20 starred reviews, and won numerous awards: Walter Dean Myers Award, South Asia Book Award, Golden Kite, ALA Notable etc. Her poetry has been published in Poetry Magazine and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. An oceanographer by training, Padma loves teaching and sharing her love for reading and writing with others. Her latest novel, Safe Harbor, is about a girl who rescues a stranded seal in Rhode Island, where Padma lives with her family.
www.padmavenkatraman.com
Awards
Padma Venkatraman is the winner of a Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature, Golden Kite, Crystal Kite, three South Asia Book Awards, two Paterson Prizes, Julia Ward Howe and Nerdy Book Awards; recipient of Malka Penn, Sakura Medal, Prix des Libraries, Storytelling World and Litterado honors, etc. Her novels have appeared on numerous best book lists (ALA Notable, Kirkus, Booklist Editor’s Choice, NYPL, Chicago Public Library, Bank Street, CSMCL and many more).
3 Fun Facts
1. I play Indian classical music, like Geetha, the protagonist of Safe Harbor.
2. I was the only BIPOC female in my incoming graduate oceanography class in the 1990’s.
3. I was inspired to write Safe Harbor by a seal I came across while strolling along the beautiful New England beach near my home.
Who’s Attending the Book Festival in 2025
Participating authors and illustrators are added frequently to our website. Please check back often for updates on our website and our Facebook page. Use the Letter buttons to sort by last name to help find who is attending.
2024 Poster!
Our 2024 poster is now available — click to view/download.
