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Authors:
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Abigail Fuller and Neil Wollman
Abigail Fuller loves to learn new things, both with her children and with her students at Manchester University, where she teaches sociology. She and her husband, Neil Wollman, have four children, six fish, three cats, and a dog. They live in Indiana. Neil Wollman tries to make the world a better place through his peace activism and by nurturing his children to grow into joyful and caring people.
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Adalucía
Adalucía is a clay artist and children’s book author and illustrator. Her love for ceramics began as a child in her hometown of Lima, Peru, where she learned about the ancient art of pre-Inca cultures. Adalucía has been working with clay for 15 years, and her pieces have been exhibited in galleries throughout the US. She has published five bilingual children’s coloring books, six picture books, and two YA novels in Spanish. Her books have won more than a dozen international awards.
Adalucía lives with her family in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She works with clay almost every day. Visit her website at www.adalucia.net. -
Amy Geller
Amy Geller is an artist and designer who lives in Queens, New York, with her cat, an iguana, three turtles and a leopard gecko.
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Amy Matsushita-Beal
Amy Matsushita-Beal is a freelance illustrator, designer, and hand-lettering artist based in Tokyo. Amy was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated from the Art Center College of Design. While presented in a variety of styles, Amy's work tends to focus on people, their intentions, and vibrancy in color and character. 123 Who Comes Next? is Amy’s first book with Star Bright Books.
Visit: amymatsushitabeal.com -
Andy Whiteside
Andy Whiteside is a sales and marketing professional. Valentino is his first children’s picture storybook. The story was inspired by the fun-loving antics of his young daughter’s real-life, beloved pet guinea pig. Andy Whiteside lives with his family in St. Louis, Missouri.
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Anna and Manos Kontoleon
Anna Kontoleon is a children’s book writer and translator. She won the Greek IBBY award for The Seven Lives of Kombos in 2012 and the Award for Translation of a Book for Children by the Greek Society of Translators in 2015. Anna lives in Athens, Greece.
Manos Kontoleon is one of the most popular Greek children’s authors and has won many Greek IBBY and Society of Greek Writers awards. Comings and Goings is the first book Manso co-authored with his daughter, Anna.
He lives in Athens, Greece. -
Anne Weston
Anne Weston lives in a remote corner of Costa Rica where she and her husband, Patrick, have established a rainforest preserve. She enjoys hiking and taking care of her pet chickens, turkeys, and geese. She also writes mysteries set in the rainforest, many of which have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. "I like to weave bits of folklore into my mystery stories," Anne says.
Anne Weston's rainforest preserve is available for use by universities and school groups. For more information, VISIT Anne Weston's website here. -
Barbara H. Cole
Barbara Cole grew up in Red Hill, North Carolina. She teaches English and Humanities at Sand Hills Community College and enjoys traveling, gardening, and photography.
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Beth Mathers
Beth Mathers has a degree in Education from Southern Illinois University. She has been working with children and young adults for over thirty-five years. Beth has taught special education and first grade, and even ran her own preschool for 14 years. She helped to create programs for the Education Department at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis and taught classes there. Beth co-founded a publishing company, the Jenny Wren Press, which she ran for nine years.
Speaking of Me... is based on Beth's "Life Lessons Program," which is in its sixth year. The program has touched the lives of hundreds of students throughout Brown County. Beth is the recipient of the 2007 Brown County Arts Leadership Award.
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Bonnie Grubman
As a child growing up in New York, it was not unusual to find Bonnie on her fire escape, wrapped in bumpy chenille and curled up with stack of books.
Today, Bonnie is still dedicating her time to preserving the magic of childhood. As a devoted early childhood educator, she brings her passion for kids to life in library workshops designed to exercise creativity, explore emotions and cultivate an enduring love for books. She is ever so grateful to the kids for their honest energy, spirit and thirst to learn. They are her movers and shakers; her inspiration and her every reason to believe that children's books are the most important books written. Bonnie and her husband live on Long Island. They have two grown children and a beloved rescue dog named Rusty. -
Brian Wildsmith
Brian Wildsmith was raised in a small mining village in Yorkshire, where, he says, "Everything was gray. There wasn't any color. It was all up to my imagination. I had to draw in my head..."
Since those early days, Wildsmith has created more than 200 picture books, which have been translated into more than twenty languages. In 1962 he was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal, Britain's highest honor for a distinguished picture book. Wildsmith is deservedly known as one of the greatest living children's book illustrators.
The Brian Wildsmith Museum, which showcases his illustration work, was founded in Japan in 1994. VISIT Brian Wildsmith's website here. -
Catherine Carvell
Born in England, Catherine Carvell has always enjoyed reading, writing, and collecting things from nature. Her family migrated to Australia when she was eight and her love of nature and stories continued, so she studied botany and journalism. Darcy Moon and the Aroona Frogs is her first children's book. She currently lives in Singapore with her husband, two children, and pet turtles. Sometimes, she talks to the turtles, but thankfully, they don't talk back.
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Catherine Hnatov
Catherine Hnatov is an artist, designer and educator who lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, a fluffy cat named Dusty, and Gertie the leopard gecko.
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Cheryl Christian
Cheryl Christian is the author of over fifty innovative children's books, many of which have been best sellers. She is the creator of the Photoflap® series and many other interactive children's books. Cheryl lives in New York City.
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Claire Datnow
Claire Datnow was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and wears many colorful hats: nature lover, conservationist, historian, world traveler, teacher, and writer. She is the author of numerous books for young people and adults. Claire earned master’s degrees in education and public history and taught gifted and talented students in the Birmingham, Alabama, public school system. She has received numerous teaching awards, including a Fulbright Memorial Fund teacher scholarship in Japan, the Blanche Dean Award for Environmental Education, the Alabama Nature Conservancy’s Outstanding Nature Educator award, and Birmingham Public Schools Teacher of the Year. In 2019, the Birmingham Audubon Society announced they have named the Audubon-Datnow Forest Preserve, behind Putnam Middle School in Birmingham, to honor Claire for creating a nature trail and outdoor classroom during her tenure.
Claire is a local liaison for her SCBWI chapter and an active member of the Birmingham Audubon Society. Monarch Mysteries is her first book with Star Bright Books. Claire and her husband, Boris, live in Birmingham. -
Constance Anderson
Constance Anderson is the illustrator and writer of the children’s picture book Smelling Sunshine, a story about one world doing an ordinary chore of hanging laundry (Star Bright Books, 2013). Her newest picture book, A Stick Until..., follows a stick on its transformational journey as a tool (Star Bright Books, July, 2017). Her writing reflects her interest in connecting people to one another, and to the environment.
Constance often combines paint and paper in her narrative images, a process reminiscent of hours spent as a child making paper dolls and the stories that went with them. Her illustrations have appeared throughout the San Diego Zoo, in science journals, cookbooks, and children’s magazines, and at California galleries and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. She lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay area where she volunteers at the environmental educational organization, Audubon Canyon Ranch. Please visit her website. -
Cornelius Van Wright
Cornelius Van Wright is an award-winning illustrator. He works with his wife, Ying-hwa Hu (also an illustrator), on many assignments. Their work has been exhibited at the Bologna Book Fair and The Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. He lives in New York City with his wife and their two children. VISIT Cornelius Van Wright's website here.
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Dean Norman
Dean Norman has drawn cartoons for books, magazines, comic books, newspapers, animated TV films, and greeting cards. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife Maureen. Now retired from full time work, he walks the dog, pets the cat, and canoes the Cuyahoga river, plays table tennis, and draws cartoons for children ’s books. He wrote and illustrated Spook the Halloween Cat and City Birds, recently published by Star Bright Books. He illustrated In the Dark Cave (written by Richard A. Watson), also published by Star Bright Books.
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Deb Fitzpatrick
Deb Fitzpatrick lives in Fremantle, West Australia and works as a freelance editor and writer. She has a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from UWA and teaches professional writing and editing at Curtin University. Previously Deb wrote two young adult novels while living in a shack in the cloud forest of Costa Rica, and backpacking through South America. Both books were awarded Notable Books by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. She wrote The Amazing Spencer Gray at a café in South Fremantle.
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Debby Slier
Debby Slier has worked as a bookseller and editor and is the author of over 50 children's books. She lives in Massachusetts where she spends much of her time gardening.
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Deborah Bruss
Deborah Bruss lives in central New Hampshire with her husband and a black-and-white dog that has no stripes. Fortunately, her dog is smart enough to avoid the only black-and-white-striped animals— skunks—that wander through the yard. She had so much fun writing her most recent book, Where Is Little Stripe’s Daddy?
The author of the acclaimed Book! Book! Book!, Deborah brings her backpack full of noisy puppets to her readings. To entertain the young children at her Big Box for Ben readings, she brings lots of boxes. She also loves researching and writing about influential women in American history for middle grade level readers.
When not writing, she enjoys reading, gardening, watching the antics of birds and squirrels, and hanging out with her family at her son’s farm.
Deborah walked with crutches for most of her life, but now enjoys the freedom and ease of zipping around on her heavy-duty scooter, keeping up with her six grandchildren. -
Deborah Slier & Ian Shine
Deborah Slier's father emigrated from Holland to South Africa in 1922. She was born and raised in Johannesburg. In 1968, Deborah Slier opened and managed the Owl and the Pussycat children's bookstore in Lexington, Kentucky. She later worked as an editor for Penguin Books, Random House, and Macmillan Publishers, and in 1994, established Star Bright Books in New York City.
Ian Shine was educated at Cambridge. He worked as an MD while teaching and authoring two books on genetics. He has spent much of his time engaged in medical research, patenting several novel analytical techniques. He is coauthor of the book, The Discovery and Significance of the Blood Groups.
In 1999, Deborah received the letters and postcards from her first cousin Philip "Flip" Slier to his parents in Amsterdam. After reading Flip's letters, Deborah and Ian began to add photographs, documents, and annotations to Flip's letters. They met and talked to people who had known Flip, including the farmers who had secretly fed him while he was interned. They also interviewed survivors of the Sobibor uprising, one of whom had been on the same transport as Flip. Deborah Slier and Ian Shine live in New York City where their mode of transport is a tandem bicycle. -
Diane de Anda
Diane de Anda is a professor emerita of social welfare at UCLA and a community voice on violence prevention and stress management among adolescents. She has written eight children’s books and edited four books on multicultural social work. Her work focuses on empowering Latino youth. Diane lives in Play del Rey, California. 21 Cousins is her first book with Star Bright Books.
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Dorit Bader Whiteman
Dr. Dorit Whiteman was born in Vienna, Austria, to a Jewish family that narrowly escaped Nazi persecution. From 1938 to 1941, her family lived in London, and they moved to New York in 1941. Dorit earned a B.A. from the University of Georgia and a PhD in clinical psychology from New York University. She met her future husband, Dr. Martin Whiteman, at NYU. Dr. Whiteman lives in New York with her husband. They have two children and two grandchildren. She has a private practice and conducts lectures on the Holocaust. She is the author of The Uprooted: A Hitler Legacy, which tells the stories of Jews who escaped the "Final Solution."
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Dr. Vanita Braver
Dr. Vanita Braver is a renowned child psychiatrist, a best-selling author, and a keynote speaker at national conferences. She is also a frequent lecturer at hospitals, schools, libraries, and community centers.
Dr. Braver wrote the Teach Your Children Well series to help teach children values and virtues. These books aim to help parents and educators enhance children's emotional well-being. VISIT Dr. Vanita Braver's website here. -
Edith Baer
Edith Baer came to the United States in her teens. She earned a BA in English Literature and a Masters degree in Library Service from Rutgers University. She has taught college workshops on 'Writing for Young Readers' for many years. When visiting schools to read from her books, she enjoys the lively participation of her audience, especially of the children. She has published a number of picture books, including the multicultural books, This is the Way We Go to School, This is the Way We Eat our Lunch, and The Wonder of Hands. Her award-winning YA novel, A Frost in the Night, and its sequel, Walk the Dark Streets, are set in the Germany of her youth. Edith Baer and her husband live in northern New Jersey. They are the parents of a son and daughter and have two grandchildren.
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Ellen Mayer
Ellen Mayer is an award-winning children's author with a background in early childhood and parent education who writes her picture books for young children and the grown-ups who read to them.Ellen has worked as an education researcher at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and as an early literacy home visitor with her diverse local public school system. With Star Bright Books she has created the Small Talk Books® series, developed early math-infused books (supported in part by TERC and a writing fellowship under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation), and collaborated with South African writer Sindiwe Magona on the middle grade Books and Bricks: How a School Rebuilt the Community. Ellen lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband and very large cat, delighted to have her children and grandchildren living close by. She holds an MPhil in sociology from Columbia University. Visit Ellen's website here.
Photo by Mindaugas Sereiva. -
Ellen Tarlow
Ellen Tarlow loves to write stories about talking animals. She wrote her first story about Pinwheel many years ago after seeing her father's photographs of a baby donkey that were taken in Mexico. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Bruce, their cat, Phoebe, and a collection of toy animals.
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Emily Jenkins
Emily Jenkins is the author of many books for young readers including the iddle-grade stories Toys Go Out and Invisible Inkling. She and Toemk Bogacki have done several picture books together including which won a Boston Globe/Horn Book honor and a Charlotte Zolotow honor. Her other picture books include: That New Animal, The Little Bit Scary People, What Happens on Wednesdays and Skunkdog. VISIT Emily Jenkins' website here.
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Fran Manushkin
Fran Manushkin's Baby, Come Out! has been translated into eight languages and has won the Dutch Silver Pencil Award. Fran is the author of many popular picture books and is a former book editor. She lives in New York City.
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Francesca Greco
Francesca Greco was born in Foligno, Italy. She learned to draw from her grandmother, whose pictures were full of fantasy. When she was fifteen, her rendering of Alice in Wonderland with the Caterpillar won first prize at the 5th World Biennial for Children's Art. She studied art history at the University of Perugia, and started publishing children's illustration in 1998.
Francesca lives in a big house with her parents, a large black dog named Blu, and a cat named Micia who stays as far away from Blu as possible. Her passion is ballet, which she has been studying since she was four years old. -
Gabriel Martin Roig
Gabriel Martin Roig is a writer, scholarly researcher, and documentary filmmaker. He holds both a BA in Fine Arts and a PhD with specialties in painting and 20th century landscapes. He has written or contributed to more than 150 books on contemporary art and the history of art; restoration and conservation of art; and children’s books. He lives in Spain.
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Giora Carmi
Giora Carmi spent fourteen years as a freelance graphic designer in Israel. During that time, Giora illustrated over two hundred book covers and fifteen children's books. He came to the United States in 1985 and established himself as an illustrator for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. In the U.S. he continued to pursue his interest in children's books, illustrating twenty-eight books, two of which he also wrote.
In 2004, Carmi received a degree from NYU in art therapy. He now works as an art therapist with troubled teens in Bergen County, NJ. He has two daughters, a son and one grandson from a previous marriage. He lives with his life partner, Anita Gold, in New York City. -
Hannah Rainforth
Hannah Rainforth is a writer and Maori translator who lives in New Zealand.
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Hermann Vinke
Hermann Vinke is a journalist who has worked at various newspapers and as a correspondent covering Tokyo, the Baltic States, and Washington D.C. An award-winning non-fiction author, Vinke offers readers an absorbing look at the people who bravely resisted Naziism.
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Hui-Mei Pan
Hui-Mei Pan was raised in rural Taiwan, and her culture has greatly influenced her stories and illustration. Pan is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design. In 1997 she was recognized with the highest honor for illustration at the Fifth Annual Children's Literature Awards of Chen Gwo-Jeng, in Taiwan.
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Isabel Hill
Isabel Hill is an architectural historian, urban planner, photographer, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her passion is teaching children about architecture and the urban environment. Counting Colorful Shapes is Isabel's fourth children's book following Urban Animals, Building Stories, and Urban Animals of Washington, D.C., all published by Star Bright Books. Isabel lives with her daughter, Anna, and their dog, Dot in Brooklyn, New York. Visit Isabel Hill's website here.
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J.A. Barnes
J. A. Barnes lives in Massachusetts and has a large family as well as three cats. One cat especially likes to sit on the keyboard, which is adorable, but makes writing difficult.
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Jake Tebbit
Jake Tebbit trained as a graphic designer and has an MA in Children’s Book Illustration. Living and working in a farmhouse on a hilly farm in England, Jake knows and loves sheep and other farm animals. He illustrated Pirates in the Library also published by Star Bright Books. He enjoys singing, playing traditional British folk music, and he travels when he can.
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Janet Halfmann
Janet Halfmann is an award-winning children's author who strives to make her books come alive for young readers and listeners. She has written more than thirty fiction and nonfiction books. The inspiration for Good Night, Little Sea Otter came while writing an article about two young scuba divers exploring an ocean kelp forest. Other recent books are: Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish, Fur and Feathers, Little Skink's Tail, and Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story. Before becoming a children's author, Janet was a daily newspaper reporter, children's magazine editor, and a creator of coloring and activity books for Golden Books. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of four. When Janet isn't writing, she enjoys gardening, exploring nature, visiting living-history museums, and spending time with her family. She grew up on a farm in Michigan and now lives with her husband in South Milwaukee, WI. VISIT Janet Halfmann's website here.
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Janice Levy
Janice Levy is the author of 23 children’s books. Her award winning titles are about relationships, multiculturalism and family values. Her stories about bullying and friendship encourage kids to think of others and feel good about themselves. Janice is a former Spanish and ESL teacher and currently teaches writing at Hofstra University. She loves traveling and meeting children all over the world.
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Jill Lauren
Jill Lauren has been teaching children and adults with learning disabilities for almost 30 years. Known as an expert in the area of reading and writing, Jill has trained teachers around the country, and has also worked with schools to implement successful reading programs. With the help of her book, Succeeding with LD, she speaks to children and adults about the important lessons learned from success stories. Jill also presents advocacy workshops with one of her former students, who graduated with a Masters from Columbia despite being told that she should not attend college due to her LD. Jill's latest book, That's Like Me!, received the Margot Marek award from the New York Branch of the International Dyslexia Association for the "most outstanding book written for children or adults about dyslexia or related learning disabilities." Jill currently conducts a private practice for learning disabled students in New York City. She enjoys meeting people who have found ways to feel proud and happy in spite of their struggles in school. VISIT Jill Lauren's website here.
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Jin Choi
Jin Choi was born and raised in South Korea. She earned a Master’s degree in architecture at Yale University, where she met her husband, Thomas. Together, they founded an architectural practice in Boston, with projects ranging from product design and architecture to infrastructure and public art installations. Jin first created Shapes at Play, then a handcrafted book, for their child when he was only a few months old. She wanted to “tickle his brain” with shapes that are related and transformed and demonstrate how to recognize them. With the inspiring giggles and contemplative long gazes she received from her son, Jin was encouraged to create more books for young children in the future. Visit her website at www.choishine.com.
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John Stadler
John Stadler is the author/illustrator of thirty books for children, including three titles presented on Public Television's Reading Rainbow series. His book The Cats of Mrs. Calamari is an ALA Editor's Choice and is featured at the Children's Museum of New Hampshire in a permanent, life-sized, interactive exhibit. The very popular I Can Read Book, The Adventures of Snail at School, as well as the other Snail tiles, were included in The New York Times Parents' Guide to the Best Books for Children, and have been used extensively as first-grade primers and textbooks. VISIT John Stadler's website here.
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Joyce Dunbar
Joyce Dunbar is the author of more than 80 children’s books, including the bestseller Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep. She has been praised for her humorous, charming, and quirky writing. Joyce’s Mouse and Mole series was adapted for an animated TV series, and later, a TV Christmas special. Her books have been translated into 20 different languages. Joyce lives in Norwich, England.
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Judi Moreillon
Judi Moreillon earned a Master's degree from the School of Information Resources and Library Science, University of Arizona, in 1992. She then went on to earn a Ph.D. from the Department of Language, Reading and Culture at University of Arizona; her research focus was media and literacy.
Judi serves as an assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman's University in Denton. She has taught early literacy, writing, adolescent and children's literature, electronic and information literacy, and storytelling at the university level.
For twelve years, Judi collaborated as a teacher-librarian with classroom teachers and students in Tucson-area high schools and K-5 school libraries to integrate literature and information literacy skills into the curriculum. Literature and libraries are her passions. VISIT Judi Moreillon's website here. -
Kathleen Rizzi
Kathleen Rizzi is a 35-year veteran children's book editor, and author of more than 25 children's books including retellings of world famous illustrated classics.
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Kelly Canby
Kelly Canby is an internationally published author and illustrator of over a dozen books for children. Her picture books have received numerous honors and have been translated into many languages around the world. Kelly is a member of the judging panel for the annual Shaun Tan Illustration Awards and regional advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Australia West. She lives in Perth, Australia. Visit: kellycanby.com
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Ken Spillman
Ken Spillman is an award-winning author whose work spans the genres of history, novels for young adults and children, short fiction, poetry, scriptwriting and criticism. He is the author of 20 books including Blue, an acclaimed novel for teenagers. Spillman’s work is represented in many anthologies, and the US reference Contemporary Authors has compiled a detailed entry on his career.
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Kirk Mueller
Kirk Jay Mueller is a writer, teacher, and singer-songwriter. He taught children for thirty years. Throughout his teaching career, he set aside time every day to write engaging stories and a song or two. So it is no surprise that now he especially enjoys going into schools/classrooms with his guitar to share his songs and stories with children. Harriet Can Carry It is his first children’s book. Kirk enjoys hiking, surfing, playing basketball and tennis. He lives in Valencia, California, with his family and their curious cat, Scruffy. Please visit Kirk's website.
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Kirsten DeBear
Kirsten DeBear is an occupational therapist and early childhood specialist who works with young children with special needs. She teaches at Bank Street College and serves as a mentor to teachers and therapists in several New York schools for children with different abilities. Kirsten lives in New York.
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Kyra Teis
Kyra Teis learned her distinctive paper-collage technique from her father, Dan Teis, an esteemed contemporary artist and academic. She is the recipient of a Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators Magazine Merit Award (1997). Kyra draws inspiration from her extensive travels, her husband and young daughter. She enjoys designing creative workshops for school visits and speaking to students about making stories and images of their own. Kyra lives near Albany, New York. VISIT Kyra Teis' website here.
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Lara Levinson
Lara Levinson has been a children’s book author for over 10 years. She began writing stories for her nieces and now reads them to her young daughter.
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Laura Dwight
Laura Dwight's interest in photographing children with special needs came from seeing poor, unflattering images of infants and toddlers with Down syndrome in her psychology textbooks. Her first board books for young children were for the Photoflap® series published by Star Bright Books. Her first full length photographic book, We Can Do It!, portrays five children with special needs, and her book Brothers and Sisters features five sibling groups playing and solving problems in everyday situations. It allows children to satisfy their curiosity about disabilities while realizing that all children are essentially the same. VISIT Laura Dwight's website here.
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Lea Aschkenas
Lea Aschkenas has written book reviews and articles for Washington Post Book World, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Salon. She is the author of a travel memoir, Es Cuba: Life and Love on an Illegal Island. She fell in love with Cuba and its people on her first trip to the island in 2000 and has been returning nearly every year since. Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle is her first book for children. Lea lives in Northern California where she works as a public librarian and teaches with the California Poets in the Schools program. Visit: leaaschkenas.com.
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Lorna Balian
Lorna Balian was born and raised in Wisconsin. She studied art at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, where she met her husband, John. Together, they renovated an old brick schoolhouse where they raised six children. Lorna's children's book career began when she decided to write and illustrate stories for her young children. She published her first book, Humbug Witch in 1965. Her long and celebrated career of creating books continues to be inspired by her fourteen grandchildren. Lorna still lives in Wisconsin with her husband.
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M.J. Burke
M. J. Burke attended the Massachusetts College of Art, lives in New England with her husband, and three cats. She has worked in many bookstores and libraries and is always happiest when surrounded by books.
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Marcus Cheong
Marcus Cheong is a writer and producer of inspirational stories for stage, screen and publication. Marcus has produced musicals in New York, television programs in Australia and multimedia content around the globe.
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Mary B.Springer
As a child growing up on a farm near La Crosse, Wisconsin, Mary enjoyed the trips to the library. She started writing for magazines and newspapers in 2001. I Have Cerebral Palsy was written to increase the understanding of what cerebral palsy is, thus enhancing the meaningful interaction between physically challenged and non-physically challenged children.
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Maryanne O'Donnell
Maryanne O’Donnell trained as a biochemist and has written and edited numerous publications in the field. She received her doctorate from Boston College. She believes that the Bible is the underpinning of western civilization and knowledge of the stories is an important component of education. She is the mother of six children and leads faith groups working on community outreach and social justice.
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Max Low
Max Low is a graduate of the Hereford School of Art in the United Kingdom. In 2017, he was shortlisted for the Penguin Random House Student Design Award and soon after started illustrating children’s books. Ceri and Deri: Good to be Sweet and Time for Clocks are Max’s first books as an author and illustrator. He lives in Abergavenny, Wales.
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Meg Starr
As a Professor of Early Childhood Education and Director of the Touro College School of Education, and a day care teacher and director, Meg Starr has helped build community programs in the heart of East Harlem. She has first-hand experience working with children in a variety of communities.
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Michael Daley
Michael J. Daley has written eight books for children. Beach Socks, his first book for young children, draws on memories of long summer visits to his grandmother on Cape Cod. He lives in Westminster, Vermont with his wife, children’s book author Jessie Haas. Michael writes his stories on a solar-powered laptop in a five-foot square tower room. His website is: www.michaeljdaley.com
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Michael Gervais
Michael Gervais teaches fifth grade in Brooklyn, NY. He is a graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University where he studied Literacy Education. The Barefoot Champion is Michael’s first book and is inspired by conversations about shoes with his very first class of second graders. When Michael is not writing or teaching, he can be found traveling around the world.
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Michael Thompson
Michael Thompson was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia where he now lives with his own family. Michael has drawn pictures for as long as he can remember and still has his first Teddy bear! He is an M.D. specializing in geriatric medicine. The Other Bears was completed in his spare time.
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Michele Coxon
Michele Coxon is a renowned illustrator and animal artist, and her books have sold over one million copies world-wide. She currently lives in Wales with eight cats, one dog, and two teenage sons.
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Mike Dumbleton
Mike Dumbleton started writing when he decided he wasn’t getting any better at basketball and his three children were old enough to allow him some uninterrupted time. His first book, Dial-A-Croc, was published in 1991, and is still very popular. Since then Mike has written many other picture books, including the bedtime story Let’s Escape. His work has been adapted for stage and television, and many of his books have been selected by the Children’s Book Council of Australia as Notable Books. Born in England, Mike now lives in Australia with his wife Linda. He is a high school English teacher and Cross Curriculum Literacy Coordinator.
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Miriam Cohen
Miriam Cohen was an avid champion of the emotional rights of children, and was interested in their "immense vulnerability, and their need to be nurtured, encouraged, and allowed to unfold naturally." She had spent many hours in classrooms reading, listening, and talking with children 'not as a lecturer, but as a fellow writer.' The time she had spent in the company of children is one reason why her books ring true, and why young readers hear themselves in the voices of her characters.
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Muriel Mandell
Muriel Mandell is the author of more than one dozen children's books that have been published, anthologized, and translated into over twelve languages. In addition to writing books, Muriel has been a reporter, columnist, magazine writer, and a teacher. She lives in New York City.
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Nadia Ali
Nadia Ali is a freelance writer and author. She was born in London, UK, and now resides in the Caribbean with her husband and two daughters. She has worked at travel, pets, and lifestyle magazines and is a creative greeting card writer. Visit her website here.
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Nancy Raines Day
Nancy Raines Day is the author of many acclaimed picture books. Her first children’s book, The Lion’s Whiskers: An Ethiopian Folktale, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. She fondly remembers Fourth of July parades in the small California community where her children grew up and now enjoys them in the coastal Georgia community where she lives with her husband.
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Narelle Oliver
Narelle Oliver is the author-illustrator of a number of award-winning children's picture books. Many of Narelle's books have been inspired by natural environments. In other titles, she has explored imaginary, historic and mathematical themes. The linocut print medium, often combined with other media, is a special feature of the illustrations.
Over the last 20 years, Narelle has conducted countless writing and illustrating workshops for students. She lives in inner-city Brisbane with her husband, two children, one dog, and many birds which visit their overgrown rainforest backyard. VISIT Narelle Oliver's website here. -
Pat Rumbaugh
Pat Rumbaugh is the cofounder of Let’s Play America and is affectionately known by many as “The Play Lady.” She founded the play advocacy organization Takoma-Plays! in Takoma Park, Maryland, and was a physical education teacher and coach for more than 25 years. Pat lives in Takoma Park. Let’s Play Outside is her first book with Star Bright Books.
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Patricia McFadden
Patricia McFadden has sold stories and articles to publications such as Children's Digest, Turtle Magazine, Highlights for Children, Healthy Planet and Mountain Parent. She has written for educational publishers such as McGraw Hill, Frank Schaffer, Mark Twain, Fulcrum, Scott Foresman, Glencoe, Reading A-Z, and the Educational Center, and also has several children's fiction books in print. Patricia has a Master's degree in Writing for Children from Spalding University and is a former preschool teacher and Early Childhood Education professor. She loves to do author visits to schools and is available for readings and speaking engagements. Please visit her website here.
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Paul Coates
Paul Coates lives in London with his family and five cats. He teaches philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire, plays chess and enjoys cooking curries and juggling. He is currently mastering 6-ball tricks.
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Peter Huggins
Peter Huggins is the author of three books of poems, Necessary Acts, Blue Angels, and Hard Facts; two other books of poems, tentatively titled Mosquitos and Audubon's Engraver, are forthcoming. He is also the author of a novel for middle readers, In the Company of Owls. Trosclair and the Alligator, his first picture book, has appeared on the PBS show Between the Lions, has received a Mom's Choice Award, and was listed as a Best Book by Bank Street and CCBC Choices. He teaches in the English Department at Auburn University and lives in Auburn, Alabama, with his wife and a silver tabby named Pippin. His children are grown. VISIT Peter Huggins' website here.
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Phillis Gershator
Phillis Gershator was born in New York City and raised in the California San Fernando Valley. She was an avid reader from the start, enjoying the Oz, Freddy the Pig, and Beverly Cleary books, and she still loves reading children's literature. She graduated from Pratt Institute with a Masters in Library Science. She has worked as a children's librarian with the Brooklyn Public Library and the St. Thomas school system in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She published her first children's book in 1979, and re-established her commitment to writing for children after experiencing the devastation of Hurricane Hugo in 1989. She and her husband, David, have two grown children and still live in St. Thomas.
The children's CD titled This Is the Day! Storysongs and Singalongs includes a song for the book Rata-Pata-Scata-Fata. For more information about her, the CD, and her books, VISIT Phillis Gershator's website here. -
Rebecca Hu-Van Wright
Rebecca Hu-Van Wright is a lover of words, people, and (most) animals. She does not love trolls. She spends most of her days wandering in search of greener pastures and writing about her adventures. She lives in New York City. This is her first book.
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Richard Watson
Richard Watson is the author of three novels: Under Plowman's Floor, The Runner, and Niagara. He co-wrote the classic American caving adventure book, The Longest Cave, which has been in print since 1976. Watson's biography of Descartes, Cogito Ergo Sum, was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of '25 Books to Remember from 2002.' He is an Honorary Life Member of the National Speleological Society, and has been exploring caves for more than fifty years.
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Robert Louis Stevenson
(13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer. His most famous works are Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
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Rochelle Bunnett
Rochelle Bunnett has been a teacher and advocate for young children with different abilities for over twenty years. She often holds workshops for parents and teachers. She lives in Bellingham, Washington, with her husband, Rob, and daughter, Annie.
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Ronald Himler
Ronald Himler began his career as a children's book artist in 1972, and has illustrated over 160 books and several hundred book covers. He has received more than thirty-five awards, nominations, and citations of excellence including a Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators and a Christopher Award. Several of his books have been Reading Rainbow Selections. In addition to illustrating children's books, Ron also makes oil paintings of Plains Indian culture that are exhibited in galleries throughout the country. Ron lives in the desert outside of Tucson, AZ. VISIT Ron Himler's website here.
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S. J. Bushue
S. J. Bushue’s post-graduate studies involved helping children learn through visual, auditory, and multiple language formats. It was this work that inspired her to create playful, entertaining, and educational picture books. She focuses on writing bilingual and special situation children’s books for preschool and early elementary school-aged children.
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Sindiwe Magona
Sindiwe Magona grew up near Cape Town, South Africa. She earned a BA from the University of South Africa and a Master’s Degree from Columbia University. For more than 20 years she worked in various capacities for the United Nations. A prolific author of novels, poetry, and children’s books, Magona’s writing reflects her experiences with poverty, single-parenthood, teaching, and social activism. She has won South Africa’s highest literary awards as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to South African literature.
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Star Bright Books
With over 75 years collective experience conceiving, writing, designing, editing and publishing books for children and young readers, the staff at Star Bright Books strives to develop and offer the best books possible for children of all ages, nationalities, interests, abilities, and special needs. Other titles/series include: Babies Everywhere™, and Photoflaps® Board Books.
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Susan Glass
Susan Glass is the author of nineteen science books for Grades 3 through 6. While waiting for the publication of The Great Eggscape, she has been busy with family and teaching. Susan lives in Hollister, California.
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Susan Kerner
Shortly after marrying the love of her life, Susan lost her husband to cancer while she was expecting their first child. Always By My Side, Susan ’s first picture book, is inspired by her own experience. Susan lives in New York City with her daughter, Lily. A companion book, Mama ’s Right Here, will be also published by Star Bright Books.
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Valeri Gorbachev
Before moving to the United States in 1992, Valeri Gorbachev was one of the most popular illustrators in Russia. He has dozens of children's books to his credit in Russia, as well as in America. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.