Ladd, London

Ladd, London

London started his career painting murals. His big break came when he illustrated March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World (Scholastic), written by Christine King Farris, the older sister of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Since then London has illustrated numerous titles including Frederick’s Journey: The Life of Frederick Douglass, an ALA Notable Children’s Book for Middle Readers. London is represented by Lori Nowicki of Painted-Words. www.londonladd.com

3 Fun Facts

1. My favorite snack while working is eating various favors of M&M’s like dark chocolate, peanut, almond, peanut butter and pretzel mixed into fresh buttery popcorn. Many artistic problems were solved chewing on it.
2. I really enjoy going to the gym, especially after eating my popcorn 😉
3. I love shopping at thrift stores and used bookstores. Not many things are better than spending days going to multiple stores.

LaMonica, Lisa

LaMonica, Lisa

Lisa LaMonica is an author and illustrator in upstate New York who has received awards for her art and books including a grant from the Kaplan Fund. She was nominated for Artist of the Year in 2002 by the Columbia County Council on the Arts. Lisa currently writes for WMHT and the Times Union. www.lisalamonica.com

3 Fun Facts

1. I have been to several places in the Caribbean where pirates roamed.
2. I have twice been featured on PBS/WMHT
3. I buy, fix up and sell old houses.

LaReau, Kara

LaReau, Kara

Kara LaReau is the author of the award-winning chapter book series The Infamous Ratsos, illustrated by Matt Myers; middle-grade trilogies The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters, illustrated by Jen Hill, and the ZomBert Chronicles, illustrated by Ryan Andrews; the chapter book series WITCHYCAKES, illustrated by Ariane Moreira; and many picture books. Kara lives in Providence, Rhode Island with her husband and daughter and their cats. www.karalareau.com

Awards

I received a Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor for my book The Infamous Ratsos, and the book has also been a winner or finalist for multiple state book awards.

3 Fun Facts

1. I have a cat named Lulu who likes to sleep on my head.
2. When I’m stressed out, baking helps to calm me down.
3. My favorite color is the deep blue green of the ocean.

Luper, Eric

Luper, Eric

Eric Luper’s more than 20 titles include the Key Hunters series and The Chocolate Lab series, Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets, and Seth Baumgartner’s Love Manifesto. He’s also been doing super-cute books with Cartoon Network for numerous televised shows such as The Amazing World of Gumball, The Regular Show, Teen Titans Go and Ben 10. In addition, Luper writes Mad Libs books for Star Wars, Star Trek and Scooby-Doo. One of his books was recently optioned for motion picture. Eric lives near Albany, but he spends many of his weekends in nearby Lake George.  www.ericluper.com

3 Fun Facts

1. I worked to rebuild a castle in southern France
2. I had a job taking care of owls, hawks and eagles… and a few ornery vultures too!
3. My favorite topping on pizza is… another slice of pizza!

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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