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. Learn more: www.gabriellebalkan.com and @gabriellebalkan.

Awards

Gabrielle’s books have been recommended by the American Library Association, Chicago Public Library, National Council for the Social Studies-Children’s Book Council, the International Literacy Association and received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly. Gabrielle is a semi-annual speaker at the Osher Map Library’s Elementary Map Contest, and Bank Street College’s Geography in the Social Studies Curriculum course.

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!