Jessie Hartland has lived and worked in Lower Manhattan for over 30 years. She has painted murals at a Japanese amusement park, designed Christmas windows for Bloomingdale’s, and illustrated posters, ceramics, packaging, fabrics, watches and all sorts of other things.

Jessie has written and illustrated numerous children’s books on a variety of subjects, from meteorites & dinosaurs to Julia Child and Steve Jobs. Coming out this year is “My Tiny Pet” about a girl and her tartigrade. Her books have now been translated into over 13 languages. www.jessiehartland.com

3 Fun Facts

1. I collect CANDY. I have a candy collection that I’ve picked up from all over the world
2. I like poodles and jazz. I have a standard poodle named Django, after Django Reinhardt.
3. My next book coming out, “My Tiny Pet” is about a pet TARTIGRADE

Ty Allan Jackson is an award-winning children’s book author, literacy advocate, publisher and captivating motivational speaker. He is the founder of Big Head Books, LLC, a literacy organization that aims to introduce children to the joys of reading. Ty travels to schools, youth organizations and various professional settings nationwide inspiring children and educating adults about the impacts of illiteracy. A two time TedX presenter, Ty believes that literacy is the foundation for a successful life and promotes it with humor and enthusiasm. www.bigheadbooks.com

3 Fun Facts

1. I shave my head daily.
2. I love chocolate chip cookies!
3. Despite being 51 years old, I still play with superhero action figures.

Todd Strasser is the author of many award-winning YA novels, including The Wave, Price of Duty, No Home, and Fallout, which the New York Times called, “Superb entertainment… and gripping suspense.” Todd’s newest novel is the mostly-autobiographical novel, Summer of ’69, about that trippy summer 50 years ago that revolved around Led Zeppelin, the first manned moon landing, Vietnam, and Woodstock. Todd’s Help! I’m Trapped In … middle-grade series sold more than 5 million copies world-wide. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages, and several have been adapted for TV and film, including The Wave (2008), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and will be a Netflix series in 2019, and the 1997 movie, Drive Me Crazy.

3 Fun Facts

1. Most of Summer of ’69 actually happened.
2. I spend each summer in Montauk, surfing.
3. I just adopted a rescue dog named Cooper.

Ruining giraffes. Escaping hot lava. Dancing alligators. Whisper tickles and whisker tickles. Yellow umbrellas. The Statue of Liberty as a toddler. These are just a few of the fun and engaging topics tackled by Chris in the wide array of his children’s picture books. www.chrisrobertsonbooks.com

With an extensive career in both animation and children’s literature, Chris uses his strengths as a story artist to his benefit when he’s writing and illustrating picture books. He has been published by Simon & Schuster, Random House, Scholastic, Chronicle Books, Bloomsbury, Sterling, and Xist Publishing.

3 Fun Facts

1. I’ve probably drawn some of your favorite cartoon characters you or your parents have seen on TV!
2. I have an IDENTICAL TWIN! That means that somewhere, there’s someone who looks exactly like me!
3. My favorite thing to draw in is…CRAYON! Just like you!!!

The daughter of a Merchant Marine and a Rockaway beach babe, Alice Kaltman’s life has always been ocean-centric. Now when she’s not in the water she writes about surfers, mermaids, and other odd balls. In addition to Wavehouse, Alice is the author of the short fiction collection Staggerwing and the forthcoming The Tantalizing Tale of Grace Minnaugh. Alice’s work can also be read in numerous journals, magazines and fiction anthologies. She splits her time between Brooklyn and Montauk, New York where she swims, surfs, and writes; weather and waves permitting. www.alicekaltman.com

3 Fun Facts

1. I’m a bonafide surfer, and though I still rip at age 60, I’ve never been as awesome as Anna.
2. As a young girl I longed to be a mermaid. My idol sat demurely on the Chicken of the Sea tuna fish cans. I peeled labels off to save her image. Every night before bedtime I squeezed both legs in to one side of my pajama bottoms and shuffled around the house pretending I was as beautiful as the tuna fish mermaid.
3. I also wanted to be ventriloquist or a hand model but I was pretty lame at the former and couldn’t handle the constant gloving and care necessary for the latter, so I became a professional surfer instead.

Karina has written copy and essays about food, fashion, film and art; scouted and developed film scripts; and worked as a writer-producer of documentaries. She studied film and writing in New York, Paris and Dublin and now lives in Manhattan with her dogs, Barry and Luca.

Chuck hails from an overgrown village among the peat bogs in the north of the Netherlands, where he spent his formative years climbing trees, drawing, reading, and cycling. He attended the Artez Institute of Visual Arts in Kampen, graduating from the department of Illustration in 2004. His work has been featured and selected by the Society of Illustrators, The Fox is black, Pikaland, Illustration Friday, and Spike Jonze’s blog: We Love You So. www.karinawolf.com  www.chuckgroenink.com

3 Fun Facts

1. Karina wrote this story when her rescue dog Luca was turned away from a New York City dog park because the other dog owners thought he was a fox!
2. Chucky has a spotted dog and several fluffy cats.
3. He likes to draw pictures, bake bread and go for walks.