Jon Apple is an artist and illustrator living in Bethlehem, Pa. He is versed in every method and medium imaginable. From greetings cards to editorial cartoons, from posters to portraiture, from fine art to PhotoShop. The eye’s the limit.
1. I can write backwards and forwards simultaneously
2. I do impressions.
3. I can cross one eye at a time.
Joyce Wan is the author and/or illustrator of books for young children such as You Are My Cupcake, Peek-a-boo Farm, and Sleepyheads. She designed her first greeting card when she was in first grade for a city-wide greeting card design contest. The design won first place and was subsequently sold through a major department store chain. Twenty years later, that design would inspire her to launch her own design studio where she produced her own greeting card line. This led her to children’s book publishing after meeting an art director at a trade show. She has since published over 30 books for children that have sold over 1 million copies worldwide. www.wanart.com
Awards
2015 Mills-Tannenbaum Award for Children’s Literacy from Reach Out and Read of Greater New York,
Society of Illustrators Original Art Show, 2020 Amelia Bloomer Book List presented by the American Library Association.
1. I am a self-taught artist.
2. I am a night owl whose favorite time to work is between 12am-3am.
3. I have two pet birds.
MICHAEL TEITELBAUM has been a writer of children’s books for more than twenty years. His fiction work includes The Scary States of America, 50 short stories, one from each state, all about the paranormal, published by Delacorte. His non-fiction work includes Jackie Robinson: Champion for Equality, published by Sterling. His latest book is The Very Hungry Zombie: A Parody, done with artist extraordinaire Jon Apple, published by Skyhorse. www.facebook.com/TheVeryHungryZombie
1. I have never eaten a brain….for lunch.
2. I’m not afraid of Zombies. I just…Ahhhhhhhhhh—
3. I have a big heart…just don’t tell the Very Hungry Zombie!
Laurie Calkhoven has never swallowed a frog, knocked over a rabbit hutch, or sung too loud in music class. She is the author of more than 50 books for young readers, including the G.I. Dogs series and You Should Meet Kids Who are Saving the Planet. www.lauriecalkhoven.com
Awards
– Beacon of Freedom Award
– Bank Street Best Books
– Northern Lights Book Award
1. love to learn random presidential facts (like my character Roosevelt).
2. I have never swallowed a frog.
3. My birthday is the same day as Harry Potter’s!
Heather Alexander is the author of more than forty books for children. Her non-fiction titles include: Life On Earth lift-the-flap series, A Child’s Introduction to Natural History, Who is Hillary Clinton?, A Child’s Introduction to Greek Mythology, and A Child’s Introduction to Art, which received the Silver Medal Parent’s Choice Award. Her fiction titles include: The Amazing Stardust Friends series, Ever After High, and Wallace and Grace Take the Case (coming in May 2017). Before turning to writing, Heather edited over 100 children’s fiction series, including the bestselling Goosebumps. Heather lives in New Jersey with her husband and two daughters. www.heatheralexanderbooks.com
1. Before I became an author, I was the editor of R.L. Sine’s Goosebumps and Fear Street series.
2. I love to read the obituaries!
3. My little white dog sleeps under my desk while I write.
Matt Chandler is an award-winning children’s book author from Buffalo, New York. He is a former newspaper editor, freelance magazine writer and the author of 22 books. He regularly visits elementary schools for author visits to share his experiences as a writer with students. He writes primarily non-fiction books including many titles on sports and four books about ghosts and haunted places! www.mattchandlerwriting.com
1. I wrote my first book when I was six-years-old!
2. I once had a job dressing up as Clifford the Big Red Dog for bookstore events.
3. I am terrified of eating Zucchini . . . REALLY terrified.
Lauren Magaziner is the internationally bestselling author of The Incorruptibles series, the Case Closed series, The Mythics series, and three other stand-alone books for middle grade readers. Lauren grew up in New Hope, Pennsylvania. After receiving a B.A. in Creative Writing and Philosophy at Hamilton College, Lauren Magaziner worked on two delightful Scholastic magazines, where many of her coworkers didn’t believe her last name was real. She currently lives in Philadelphia, where she writes full time. www.laurenmagaziner.com.
Lauren’s books are international bestsellers, are available in 12 languages, have been Junior Library Guild selections, have been on the Indie Next List, been an Amazon bestseller, earned starred reviews, been on state lists, and have been optioned for a TV movie with Nickelodeon.
1. I usually work on four books at a time, all in different stages of the writing process. I love having a revolving door of projects.
2. I plot all my work on a giant whiteboard. For The Incorruptibles, I had to keep track of about 15 different character’s squads, backstories, and internal arcs.
3. The quickest manuscript I’ve ever written was The Mythics: Marina and the Kraken. It took me 11 days to complete the first draft.
David A. Kelly gets to go to the moon, baseball stadiums, and football games for his job. David is the author of over thirty five children’s books that have sold close to 2 million copies, including his bestselling Ballpark Mysteries and Football Mysteries series. David’s latest picture book, Tee Time on the Moon, takes readers to the Moon with Alan Shepard as he hits two golf balls during the Apollo 14 mission. He currently lives outside of Boston. For more information, visit davidakellybooks.com, or find him on Instagram and Facebook at @DavidAKellyBooks or find him on X/Bluesky at @DavidAKelly, Instagram/Facebook at @DavidAKellyBooks .
Maryland Blue Crab Award, New York Public Library Best Books for Kids, Bank Street College Best Children’s Book, and Booklist Top 10 Sports Books, alongside state reading awards and being featured on Amazon’s “Best Books of the Month” for titles like The Gold Medal Mess.
1. I once met Hank Aaron.
2. My favorite food is french fries.
3. I’m terrible at spelling!
Holly Kowitt has written and/or illustrated over 50 titles for young readers, and has sold over five million books. Her hit series for Scholastic, The Loser List, won many awards, and was translated into twelve languages. In her latest series, The Principal’s Underwear is Missing, she continues the same funny, reader-friendly, cartoon-stuffed style of storytelling. www.kowittbooks.com
She lives in New York City, where she enjoys cycling, theatre, and swing-dancing.
1. My husband is a Broadway actor
2. I live in New York City where I like to read, cycle and go to flea markets
3. My book was inspired by a British book series about an aristocratic party boy and his very smart butler
Jennifer Sattler is the award-winning author and illustrator of many children’s books, including Sylvie , the Chick ‘N’ Pug and Pig Kahuna series, The Jennifer Sattler Board Book series (Dirty Birdies, Jungle Gym, Bundle Up, Oink Oink Moo Cock-a-doodle doo) Bully and One Red Sock. She grew up outside of Philadelphia and then went on to study painting and drawing at the University of New Hampshire, followed by the Hope School of Fine Arts at Indiana University in Bloomington. In 1996, she won a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her books have won The Mockingbird Award for Picture Books and The Georgia Children’s Book Award. Jennifer lives in upstate New York. www.jennifersattlerbooks.com
1. The person I talk to most all day is not a person at all… it’s my dog Matilda.
2. I wear yellow tinted glasses around the house in winter to trick myself into thinking it’s sunny out.
3. When I dance, I plant my feet and move the rest of my body. My family says I look like a tree.
The Hudson Children’s Book Festival is a 501c3 charity.
Hudson Children’s Book Festival, Inc., established in 2009 in the historic City of Hudson, NY, strives to create, nurture and sustain a culture of literacy in partnership with our community and schools in Hudson and the surrounding areas. The mission is to foster a love of reading by connecting children with world-class authors and illustrators at the annual free festival and special school and community events. Since 2024, Hudson Children’s Book Festival is a 501(c)3 charity. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
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