Tara Lazar- Street magic performer. Hog-calling champion. Award-winning ice sculptor. These are all things Tara Lazar has never been. Instead, she writes quirky, humorous picture books where anything is possible! taralazar.com
SCBWI Crystal Kite, SCBWI Golden Kite, Irma Black Book Award
1. My wheelchair is “sky blue”.
2. I used to be a competitive figure skater.
3. My favorite food is tacos!
Christine J. Ko is an author, mother, practicing physician, and a Professor of Dermatology and Pathology at Yale University. Her debut children’s book, Sound Switch Wonder, was inspired by her son, Owen Whang, and was written to include more representation of deaf people and the spectrum and range of deafness. Christine lives with her husband and their daughter and son in New Haven, Connecticut. https://soundswitchwonder.com
SCBWI Virtual ShopTalk
1. I read books out of page order.
2. I LOVE chocolate!
3. I also love the endorphin-rush of exercise.
Dan Saks is a musician, music educator and author. He has lived and taught in NYC, Mexico City, and Switzerland and has traveled the world as a performing musician. He is the creator and host of Noodle Loaf, a popular music education podcast for kids which has been awarded a Webby Honor and the Common Sense Media Seal of Approval. He is the author of a board book series celebrating diverse family experiences, (FAMILIES BELONG, FAMILIES CAN, FAMILIES GROW,) and a board book series about community (WE SHARE THIS SCHOOL, WE SHARE THIS EARTH, WE SHARE THIS NEIGHBORHOOD). www.noodleloaf.com
FAMILIES GROW – SLJ & Kirkus Starred Reviews, FAMILIES CAN – NCTE Notable Social Studies Book (2022), FAMILIES BELONG – Imagination Library, NOODLE LOAF – Common Sense Media Seal
1. I’ve played banjo in Mexico.
2. I’ve played piano in Switzerland.
3. I’ve sang everyplace I’ve ever been.
John Patrick Green is a human with the human job of making books about animals with human jobs, notably the smash-hit graphic novel series InvestiGators. John is definitely a multiple New York Times-bestselling human author and not just a bunch of animals in a trench coat pretending to have a human job. With over a million copies of InvestiGators in print, John is a successful human being with only two hands and a normal amount of fur. He lives in a Brooklyn apartment that doesn’t allow animals other than the ones living in his head. https://investigatorsbooks.com
The InvestiGators are a New York Times best-selling series. His graphic novel Hippopotamister has won the Children’s Crown Gallery Award, and InvestiGators received the Denise McCoy Literacy Award 2022.
1. I got my start making comics as a little kid, by selling drawings of Garfield in third grade.
2. I went to School of Visual Arts in NYC for graphic design, but while I was there I started self-publishing comics with a friend, Dave Roman, starting a fantasy series called Jax Epoch.
3. I work traditionally, meaning that I draw my comics with pencils and pens on paper.
Kristen Balouch has created almost a dozen books for children. She has collaborated on projects from exclusive designed toys and furniture for the Guggenheim Museum, fabric collections for Little House Cottons, fine art shows in New York City, and teamed with various licensing partners. Kristen splits her time between the Adirondacks and a tiny top-floor apartment in Brooklyn, New York. She likes cooking for friends and family, wandering to scout out good food, and being outside. www.kristenbalouch.com
Ezra Jack Keats Award, Charlotte Zolotow Commended, CCBC Best Book of the Year, Middle East Book Award, Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, The Golden Kite Honor Award, Illustration Category.
1. Kristen has a new puppy named Porter.
2. Kristen likes Chocolate.
3. Kristen does not like marshmallows.
Melanie Conklin grew up in North Carolina and worked as a product designer before she began her writing career. She is the author of Counting Thyme, Every Missing Piece, A Perfect Mistake, Crushed (2024), and her debut picture book, When You Have to Wait (2024). Her books have won awards such as the International Literacy Association Teacher’s Choice Award, Bank Street Best Children’s Book, and nominations to six state reading lists. When she’s not writing, Melanie spends her time doodling and dreaming up new ways to be creative. She lives in New Jersey with her family. https://www.melanieconklin.com/
The International Literacy Association Teacher’s Choice Award, Bank Street Best Children’s Book, and nominations to six state reading lists.
1. Before I started writing, I was a product designer. I’ve designed some strange things: eye-wash stations, label makers, baby incubators, and pencil cups.
2. I didn’t always want to be a writer! I’ve always loved books, but it took me a long time to write one of my own.
3. I hated middle school. My hair never cooperated, no matter how much hairspray I used!
Michael Rex has been writing and illustrating children’s books since 1995. He is the creator of over 50 books, including the #1 Bestseller, and Halloween favorite “Goodnight Goon,” and its follow up “We’re Going on a Goon Hunt.” His picture books include “Eat Pete” and the popular “Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots.” His current graphic novel series “Your Pal Fred” is about the nicest boy in the apocalypse, and in 2017 his Fangbone graphic novels were turned into an animated TV show. He loves traveling the country to visit schools and talk about his work with students of all ages, has a Master’s degree in Arts Education, and also taught high school art for three years in the Bronx. He lives with his wife, two sons and a dog in Leonia, NJ. https://www.instagram.com/fangbone_rex/?hl=en
Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots was on 12 state reading lists.
1. I like to stay up very, very late.
2. I can draw really, really fast.
3. I like to wear hats.
Nanette Torchia Lavin, a Hudson native, attended Greenport Elementary and Hudson High. As a social worker in a preschool for the past 25 years, she knows how children connect with food. No suitcase is required for Nanette’s debut, Recipe Road Trip, Cooking Your Way Across the USA. This book was created out of her love of travel, cooking, and children. Nanette lives in Lynbrook, New York with her daughter, Emma, and their three-year-old Wheaten Terrier Maddie. www.kitcheninkpublishing.com
A fantastic Kirkus review “A colorful celebration of food and culture—children will delight in cooking (and eating) their way around the nation”- Wonderful five star reviews including profile on Net Galley and a bulk sale to the Junior Library Guild (JLG).
1. Born and raised in Hudson, NY
2. Children’s yoga teacher
3. Won a Today Show costume contest and the prize was a trip to Harry & Meghan’s royal wedding in London
Sylvie Kantorovitz grew up in France and now lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley. She is the author-illustrator of SYLVIE, a middle-grade graphic-novel about her young years in France. SYLVIE (ages 9-14) has been called “enchanting and witty” (School Library Journal). She is the creator of two series, also in comics format: MONTI AND LEO (ages 7-9) and PICKLE (ages 3-6). She is also the illustrator of the bestseller, WHEELS ON THE BUS, A RAFFI SONG TO READ. www.sylviekantorovitz.com
SYLVIE is a Bank Street Best Book of the Year and a Junior Library Guild selection. MONTI AND LEO is a Junior Library Guild selection. A NEW CAR FOR PICKLE is a Junior Library Guild selection and a Horn Book Summer Reading selection
1. I’m easy to recognize: I have very short hair and a French accent
2. I love spirals! I manage to include 2 in my autograph
3. I have learned a new word: knolling. I love the practice of knolling the treasures I bring back from nature walks.
Jessica Ralli is the coordinator of early literacy programs at Brooklyn Public Library where she develops and manages creative initiatives for children 0-5. She has taught in schools, museums and libraries, and lives in Brooklyn with her partner and two children. Jessica is currently co-authoring the award-winning, critically-acclaimed First Conversations series published by RISE X Penguin Workshop. firstconversations.com
ALA Notable Book (2021), Notable Social Studies Book for Young People (2022), 2023 ALA RISE Booklist, Kirkus Best Book of the Year 2021, Bank Street Book Committee Best Book of the year 2022 & 2023 (more reviews and honors listed here: https://www.jessicaralli.com/childrens-books)
1. I love eggs and often make TikTok videos devoted to them:)
2. I adore Hermit Crabs!
3. I grew up in a school (that my mom ran in our home).
