Fran Manushkin is the author of over 100 books, including the popular Katie Woo series, as well “Happy In Our Skin,” and the best-selling board books “Big Girl Panties” and “Big Boy Underpants.” She loves to meet her readers! www.franmanushkin.com
1. I’ve written over 100 books.
2. I am always singing songs in my head.
3. I need chocolate every day!
Yona Zeldis McDonough is the author of 28 books for children, including several in the highly popular WHO WAS…? series. She has also published seven novels for adults as well as articles, essays and short fiction. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, photographer Paul McDonough.
1. I love Pomeranians and I’ve had as many as three at once.
2. My husband built a doll house for me. It inspired one of my books (The Doll House Magic) and it has pride of place in our living room.
3. I like to memorize poetry an know over sixty poems by heart.
Ralph Masiello was born and raised in the state of Massachusetts where he lives with his daughters Alexa and Talia. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA, Illustration, 1985), Ralph has illustrated for magazines, newspapers and books, created posters and prints, and shown his fine art paintings in galleries throughout the world. Beginning with The Icky Bug Alphabet Book in 1986, Ralph has has become internationally known for the children’s books he’s written and illustrated. Since 1987, he has visited over 3,300 schools all over the world, inspiring children with his life story, humor, and art. www.ralphmasiello.com
Society of Illustrators Award of Merit (2 times).
1. I am an aggressive skier!
2. I like Lima beans.
3. I used to race motocross
Sam J. Miller is a writer and a community organizer. His debut novel The Art of Starving (YA/SF) was published by HarperCollins in 2017, and will be followed by Blackfish City from Ecco Press in 2018. His stories have been nominated for the Nebula, World Fantasy, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards, and have appeared in over a dozen “year’s best” anthologies. He’s a graduate of the Clarion Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Workshop, and a winner of the Shirley Jackson Award. He lives in New York City, and at www.samjmiller.com
1. I grew up in Hudson; my family owned Sam’s Supermarket on Warren Street!
2. I was Most Valuable Player on the Hudson High Swim Team (also, I was the only player on the Hudson High Swim Team)
3. Joan Rivers made fun of me once, and it was The Greatest Thing.
Jeff Mack is the award-winning author and illustrator of fifty books for young readers. His titles include Good News Bad News, Hush Little Polar Bear, Duck in the Fridge, and The Dog & Pony Show.
His recent series of picture book biographies include Art is Everywhere, Marcel’s Masterpiece, and Time To Make Art.
He has also illustrated James Howe’s Bunnicula and Friends, Eve Bunting’s Hurry Hurry, and The Cryptid Club series by TV writer/producer, Michael Brumm.
He travels widely to schools and libraries sharing his love of creating books with young readers.
Visit him at www.jeffmack.com.
2024 Junior Library Guild Selections: Dog Gets A Pet, We Are Up A Tree
2013 Texas 2×2: Frog & Fly, Good News Bad News, Cindy Moo
2014 Junior Library Guild Selections: Frog & Fly
2014 NYPL Best Books: AhHa!
2015 Colorado Bell Award: The Things I Can Do
1. My favorite children’s book author/illustrator is William Steig.
2. I named Clueless McGee after my dog McGee.
3. Clueless McGee was originally going to be about a dog who wears pajamas and solves mysteries, but I didn’t want it to be like Scooby-Doo. So I turned the dog into a fifth-grade boy.
Daniel Jude Miller is the author and illustrator of the children’s picture book series Monsters in Manhattan, as well as Everybody Wake Up, Earclaw and Eddie and the upcoming Halloween Boy and the Christmas Kid. Growing up in Queens, NY and going to college and working in Manhattan for many years inspired him to write and draw all the creatures and goblins he came across on a daily basis. He now lives upstate, far from the clutches of those monsters. www.djudemiller.com
1. I met my wife while working up in the clouds on the 65th floor of the Empire State Building.
2. I have a baseball hat collection, 279 and counting…
3. My middle name is Jude. It’s also the middle name of my brother, two sisters and son. And I donate a dollar from every book to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
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.
Stacy McAnulty is an award-winning children’s book author, who used to be a mechanical engineer, and who dreams of someday being a dog therapist, a correspondent for The Daily Show, an astronaut, and a Green Bay Packer coach. She’s written over 30 books, including the middle-grade novel, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, and the popular Our Universe picture book series. Her debut middle-grade nonfiction, Save the People! Halting Human Extinction was favorably reviewed in the New York Times. Most of her books include a STEM angle or an adorable dog—some have both. Originally from upstate NY, she now lives in Kernersville, NC. www.stacymcanulty.com
Awards
– Indie Bestseller The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
– Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor Recipient for Excellent Ed
– 2019 Mathical Prize Winners for The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
– The 2021-2022 Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Winner for Millionaires for the Month
1. I believe intelligent life exists beyond Earth, but I’d really like to know for sure!
2. I studied mechanical engineering in college and then worked designing first-class airline seats. (Yet, I’ve never sat in a first-class airline seat.)
3. Local roots! Both my parents were born and raised in Hudson, and we adopted my first dog, Mandy, from the Columbia-Greene Humane Society.
Barbara Ann Mojica, M.A. S.A.S., S.D.A is a historian and retired educator. Her education career spans more than forty years serving as a teacher, special educator, principal, and school district administrator. Now retired, she provides education strategies and tips for parents and teachers through guest podcasting, book reviewing, teaching videos, and personal appearances. Barbara writes monthly historical articles for the Columbia Insider under the banner “Passages.” Using the whimsical Little Miss History character to narrate her book series, Barbara hopes to educate, entertain and inspire children to learn about historical people and places.The author teaches critical thinking skills that will empower our youth to become the leaders of tomorrow. Little Miss History’s antics make reading nonfiction a fun-filled adventure for all ages. She firmly believes, “If you don’t know your history, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” http://www.littlemisshistory.com
The Little Miss HISTORY book series has garnered more than two dozen awards including B.R.A.G. Medallions, International Book Excellence Awards, Purple Dragonfly, International Readers’ Favorite Awards, Eric Hoffer, and Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards.
1. I have two sets of twin grandchildren!
2. I enjoy playing BoxBollen.
3. My favorite dessert is gelato.
Victor Ramon Mojica was born and raised in Manhattan, New York, but now lives in New York Capital Region. He is an illustrator, cartoonist, writer, and publisher with such works as the critically acclaimed comic book series “eugenus®, The Next Step in Human Evolution,” and Captain CROSSBONES® for LAUGHS, Volumes 1-4. www.eugenusSTUDIOS.com
Awards
BRAG Medallions
1. Visited Europe (Italy) for the first time in 2024.
2. Never known a time I didn’t have a TV.
3. Been drawing since I was 5.
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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