2026 HCBF Archives - Hudson Childrens Book Festival

Lee, Emeline

Lee, Emeline

Emeline Lee is an author of children’s literature. Her picture books include Bonnie’s Rocket (illus. Alina Chau; Lee & Low Books), a STEM-friendly story set during Apollo 11, and Gwei the Hungry Ghost (illus. Basia Tran; Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers), a whimsical story inspired by Chinese food and folklore. She studied English literature and environmental sustainability at Columbia University and lives in New Jersey. In her free time, Emeline enjoys hiking in nature, eating hot pot, and crocheting cozy things. Find her on social media at @EmelineLeeBooks. www.emelinelee.com

Awards

Bonnie’s Rocket (written by Emeline Lee, illustrated by Alina Chau, and published by Lee & Low Books 2022), 2023 Skipping Stones Honor Award, 2024 Yellowhammer Book Award Honors (by the Alabama School Library Association).

3 Fun Facts

1. I’m half Chinese and half Korean.
2. I love to crochet and make everything from stuffed animals to sweaters!
3. I’m a big fan of Star Trek (a Trekkie) and love sci-fi and fantasy stories in all forms.

Aldridge, Ethan

Aldridge, Ethan M.

Ethan M. Aldridge is a bestselling author, illustrator, and cartoonist. He is the creator of the ESTRANGED duology, The Pale Queen, The Deephaven Mystery series, The Legend Of Brightblade, and more. He lives in Brooklyn with his husband Matthew, and their dog Kitsune. https://ethanaldridge.weebly.com

Awards

DEEPHAVEN (A New York Public Library selection for Best Books Of 2023, A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, nominated for the Mythopoeic Award), ESTRANGED (a JLG selection, Indie Bestseller, and YALSA Great Graphic Novel For Teens), THE LEGEND OF BRIGHTBLADE (an American Library Association pick for Best Graphic Novels For Children).

3 Fun Facts

1. I hide my dog somewhere in all of my comics.
2. I play the banjo (badly but enthusiastically).
3. My last job before making books was decorating cakes.

Weinstein, Ellen

Ellen Weinstein_photo by Deborah Feingold – Ellen Weinstein

Weinstein, Ellen

Ellen Weinstein is the author and illustrator of Five Stories, published by Holiday House, 2024, the illustrator of the picture book Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity, published by the Museum of Modern Art, and the author and illustrator of Recipes for Good Luck: The Superstitions, Rituals, and Practices of Extraordinary People, published by Chronicle Books. Clients include Time Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic, amongst many others. Awards include SCBWI 2025 Crystal Kite, Junior Library Guild Gold Selection, Bank Street College, Children’s Book Council, and the Society of Illustrators. www.ellenweinstein.com

Awards

Children’s Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of the Year,
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Crystal Kite Winner, A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, A CSMCL Best Multicultural Children’s Book of the Year, Society of Illustrators, Seven pieces of work in the Permanent collection of the Library of Congress

3 Fun Facts

1. I am a third generation resident of the Lower East Side,
2. A proud mini-dachshund mom,
3. And library kid

Litwin, Megan

Litwin, Megan

Megan Litwin is the author of books for children like Gather Grateful; Twinkle, Twinkle, Winter Night; the Dirt and Bugsy early reader series…and more underway. A former classroom teacher with a Master of Arts in Children’s Literature from Simmons University, Megan considers growing lifelong readers to be her lifelong work. https://www.meganlitwinbooks.com/

Awards

Gather Grateful is a 2026 ALA Notable, CCBC Choice, and Golden Kite Award Finalist; Twinkle, Twinkle, Winter Night was a 2023 Massachusetts Book Award “Must-Read” and Crystal Kite Award Finalist (New England region); Dirt and Bugsy was a 2023 Cybils Award Finalist.

3 Fun Facts

1. I grew up in upstate NY with a dog, bunnies, goats, and chickens.
2. Once upon a time, I was terribly afraid of bugs – but now I write about them!
3. Fall is my favorite time of year.

Moss, N. West

N West Moss Author Photo – Tracy Miracle

Moss, N. West

N. West Moss is the author of the memoir Flesh & Blood and the short story collection The Subway Stops at Bryant Park. Her essays and short stories have appeared in McSweeney’s, The Saturday Evening Post, and The New York Times, among other publications. Birdy is her first book for young readers. She lives in New Jersey. https://www.nwestmoss.com/

Awards

The Great American Fiction Contest at The Saturday Evening Post, The Diana Woods Memorial Prize for non-fiction from Lunch Ticket, 3 Faulkner-Wisdom gold medals.

3 Fun Facts

1. Writing for children is in my genes. My father Lloyd Moss’ Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin is a Caldecott Honor-winning children’s book illustrated by Marjorie Priceman, that uses rhythmic verse and playful art to teach counting and musical group names.
2. My mother gave me a filing cabinet for my 7th birthday. That should tell you what a bookworm and writer I’ve been since the beginning.
3. The two passions of my life are writing and teaching. I love having the excuse to sit with students of all kinds and talk about great writing with them, whether it’s their own writing or published work. I also like the way we teachers have a chance to create a little mini culture in our classroom where the values I like get to prevail. So my classes tend to be a place where we laugh a lot, and also where we value a solid work ethic. I usually end up loving a lot of my students, even if we never meet again, and when I’m teaching writing, I always ALWAYS see my writing in a new way because of my students.

Cliff, Cynthia

CynthiaCliff_LoRes_©AmandaGood – Cynthia Cliff

Cliff, Cynthia

Cynthia Cliff is an author and self-taught artist who grew up in rural Virginia surrounded by farms and woodlands. This upbringing provided her with a love of history, nature, and folklore—themes that find their way into her whimsical, folk-art inspired story-telling. She has a number of children’s book including A Day at the Museum, A Weekend Trip, The Wild Garden, and Pie for Breakfast. Her upcoming book Mary E. and the Apple Tree, published by Greenwillow Books, out in 2026, is about one girl’s experiences growing up on her family’s orchards and is inspired by her own families’ story. www.cynthiacliff.com

3 Fun Facts

1. I started drawing late in life.
2. I backpacked on the Appalachian Trail at 10 yrs old.
3. I can write upside down and backwards.

Lewis, K.E.

KennethLewis-BazemoreStudios-scaled – Kenneth Lewis

Lewis, K.E.

K.E. Lewis is the author of Never Take Your Rhino on A Plane, Because of Dads, and appears in The Haunted States of America Anthology. Raised in Bishopville, SC, where the weather is hot and the accent thick, K.E. is a Carolinian through and through, gravitating towards good music, good food, and fascinating culture (and oh, good cake!) kelewis.world

Awards

The Sid Fleischman Humor Award

3 Fun Facts

1. Never Take Your Rhino on a Plane was sparked by a real (and awful) plane experience.
2. I’ve worked in museums creating dynamic cross-curricular experiences for children.
3. My plan is to get an African Grey parrot not only as my feathered friend, but also as my honest, talking, breathing sounding board.

Mele, Dana

Mele, Dana

Dana Mele is the author of five YA books and graphic novels. Their books have been shortlisted for the ITW Thriller Award, are ALA Rainbow List Selections, and have been named by the NYPL as their Top 50 YA Books of the Year. Dana lives and writes in the Hudson Valley with their family and plays a lot of board games in their spare time. www.danamele.com

Awards

Finalist for ITW Thriller Award, JLG Selection, NYPL’s Top 50 YA Books of the Year Selection, ALA Rainbow List Selection, Shortlisted for ALA Quick Picks For Reluctant Readers, Shortlisted for YALSA Best Books for Young Adults.

3 Fun Facts

1. When I was a child, I lived in Germany for a bit. My very best friend went off to boarding school but was so homesick she returned—she even gave me her uniform. That’s when I started reading boarding school books and my first book is set at one!
2. I have a Lord of the Rings tattoo in elvish that means the word “friend”—in the book that word is a secret password, and my friends and I use it as our own secret word to drop everything and be there for each other!
3. My first favorite book series was The Babysitters Club. I had every book in the series and my favorite character was Kristy.

Sterer, Gideon

Gideon Sterer Author Photo – Gideon Sterer

Sterer, Gideon

Gideon Sterer is a New York Times bestselling author who grew up in the woods of upstate New York. Not too far away, his parents owned a wildlife discovery center where he would run around after-hours and let the animals out. Inspired by his father, Gideon sported a bowl-cut / mullet / rat-tail thing for a few too many years. Currently, he lives in Brooklyn and appreciates the spectrum of dogs. Other than dogs, he likes football, pierogies, portals, archery, and liminal places where worlds blend. gideonsterer.com

Awards

NYT Bestseller / Indie Bestseller.

3 Fun Facts

1. I like Pierogis.
2. I like the Minnesota Vikings.
3. I like canoe camping.

Potter, Giselle

Potter, Giselle

Giselle Potter has illustrated thirty five children’s books. She has illustrated her own stories including, The Year I Didn’t Go to School, which she wrote and illustrated about her experiences of traveling with her parents’ puppet troupe in Italy when she was eight, as well as Tell Me What to Dream About, This Is My Dollhouse, Sister’s Wish and Before She Was my Grandmother. She has also illustrated stories by such authors as Toni Morrison, Mary Pope Osborne, Ursula Hegi, Mathea Harvey and Gertrude Stein. Gisellepotter.com

Awards

ALA notables,Charlotte Zolotow Award, Parents’ Choice Gold Award, Marion Vannett Ridgeway award,Junior Library guild, CCBC choices, Children’s Favorite awards.

3 Fun Facts

1. Almost everyone in my family was or is an artist.
2. When I am not making children’s books I often paint family portraits.
3. I take long walks every day with my dog.