presenting our 2023 participating authors

New York Times best-selling author best known for The Jumbies series. She is also the author of Minecraft: The Crash, African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History, and the picture books Looking for a Jumbie and Because Claudette. Follow her on Twitter @traceybaptiste.

www.TraceyBaptiste.com

Author of several beloved picture books, including the classic THE BUTT BOOK, THE TRUE STORY OF ZIPPY CHIPPY: THE LITTLE HORSE THAT COULDN'T, POOPENDOUS!, BELCHES, BURPS, AND FARTS—OH MY!, PETER PANDA MELTS DOWN!, and much more.

http://www.artiebennett.com/

Author of children's books such as I HAVE A BALLOON, WE LOVE FISHING!, and the WARREN & DRAGON chapter book series. www.arielbernsteinbooks.com.

Making picture books has been a goal since sixth grade. Graduating from Cooper Union did nothing to diminish that dream. After a stint as an architectural renderer and a toymaker, in the last century, Suzanne began to meet her imaginary friends.  Many have appeared and more are clamoring to be in the next story.  Together they’ve received some lovely awards like the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor, the Texas 2x2, and have toured PA with the PA One Book program. She lives with her family and imaginary friends in the countryside in upstate NY.       <!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->www.suzannebloom.com 

Valerie Bolling is passionate about creating stories in which all children can see themselves and feel seen and heard, valued and validated. She is the author of five picture books (LET’S DANCE!, TOGETHER WE RIDE, TOGETHER WE SWIM, RIDE, ROLL, RUN: TIME FOR FUN!, and BING, BOP, BAM: TIME TO JAM!) and RAINBOW DAYS, a Scholastic Acorn early reader series.  A graduate of Tufts University and Columbia University, Teachers College, Valerie has been an educator for 30 years and is an active member of the kidlit community – teaching picture book classes (independently and for the Highlights Foundation), serving as a mentor, and presenting at conferences. Valerie lives in Connecticut with her husband where they enjoy traveling, hiking, reading, going to the theater, and dancing. linktr.ee/ValerieBollinghttp://valeriebolling.com/index.html.

As a child on the Connecticut shoreline, Doe Boyle satisfied her curiosity for the natural world by exploring the woods, shore, and fields--and poring over books. Nowadays, she writes her own science and nature books, including, most recently, Heartbeat and Blink!, science poetry books in Albert Whitman's Imagine This! series, launched in 2020. Hear the Wind Blow (2021) is her stormy exploration of the visible and audible signs of the wind. Never far from the sounds of music, poetry, and the sea, she works in a wee room in an ancient house at the side of an ancient road within view of the waves that helped her write Water, due in September 2022. www.doeboyle.com  

Author of nearly thirty books for children and young adults. Her picture book When Dinosaurs Came with Everything won the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award and was named Time Magazine's #1 Children's Book of the Year. My Pet Wants a Pet was chosen as Parents Magazine’s Best Picture Book of the Year. Her mystery, Masterpiece, is a New York Times bestseller and a frequent choice for One School, One Book programs. Elise’s novels often feature a real historical mystery that is still unsolved. She lives in Connecticut and teaches creative writing at Yale University.   www.elisebroach.com 

Nicholas Tung Ming Bruel is an American author and illustrator of children’s books, most notably the Bad Kitty series. The first book in the series, Bad Kitty, is an alphabet-themed picture book, and expanded series includes both picture books and chapter books, as well as a guide to drawing comics. www.nickbruelbooks.com 

 Laurie Calkhoven has never swallowed a frog or had a slime war with ghosts like Roosevelt Banks, but she has written more than fifty books for children ranging from beginning readers and chapter books to middle grade historical novels. Her newest book is Roosevelt Banks and the Attic of Doom.  www.lauriecalkhoven.com 

Creator, along with illustrator Ross MacDonald, of the How to Speak Sports series. She is also the co-author of the award winning Hey Batta Batta Swing! The Wild Old Days of Baseball and several other books for young readers and adults. www.sallycookauthor.com

JAY COOPER is the illustrator and writer of over 25 books for kids young and old, including the New York Times best-selling graphic novel The Last Comics On Earth and national best-seller Your Guide To Not Getting Murdered In A Quaint English Village. Jay takes silly books very seriously—he believes that reading for pure enjoyment leads to a lifetime of literacy. www.jaycooperbooks.com

The author of more than 55 titles, I’m known as “the skeleton lady” for my books Skeleton Hiccups, Skeleton for Dinner, and Bonaparte Falls Apart (about a skeleton with loose bones).  www.margerycuyler.comCome

Award-winning author of twelve middle grade novels. Her most recent book is VIOLETS ARE BLUE, an SLJ Best Book of 2021 and  HAVEN JACOBS SAVES THE PLANET, a 2022 SLJ Best Book of the Year.  barbaradeebooks.com

 Della Ross Ferreri is a teacher and children’s author of picture books, board books and early readers. Her books include PRECIOUS BABY, GOD BLESSES ME, HUGGLE WUGGLE, BEDTIME SNUGGLE and forthcoming for Christmas 2025, THE MOUSE BUFFET. Her stories and poems have appeared in Highlights magazines, Ladybug and Babybug. 

 www.dellarossferreri.com  

Award-winning creator of many picture books, lives in Cornwall, Connecticut with a colossal collection of tiny toys she uses to create her books.  http://valoriefisher.com 

Author of many animal books for kids, ranging from picture books through YA.  My goal is to enlighten and inspire young readers to have compassion for all creatures great and small while making sure that my own empathy shines through on every page. www.nancyfurstinger.com 

 New York Times best-selling author and illustrator Michael Garland’s greatest success has been for writing and illustrating children's picture books. Garland’s Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook won the California and Delaware State Reading Awards. He is the author and illustrator of forty-four children’s picture books and illustrator for more than fifty books by other authors.   

New York Times bestselling author of the Lemoncello series, the Smartest Kid series, the Dog Squad series, the Wonderland series, the award-winning Haunted Mystery series, and The Island of Dr. Libris. Together, he and his wife J.J. wrote the acclaimed Shine! https://chrisgrabenstein.com/

Award-winning children's author living in New York's Hudson Valley. Find her fun books for kids at all bookstores! http://taniaguarino.com/ 

Through her book, this author wants to share a message of love and self-acceptance to all children, but especially little black girls who deserve to have their beauty affirmed. Cornrows, Box braids and Little Afro Puffs is the story of one little girl’s journey toward self-love and acceptance. www.Stirredstories.com

Jackie is an award-winning, internationally translated children’s book author with a Master’s in Counseling in Education. She strives to write books that meet children where they are and reflect what children see in the mirror and out of their windows.  www.JackieAzuaKramer.com 

Author and illustrator whose debut picture book, Adventure Girl, has been published by Alazar Press. She is an award-winning illustrator and fine artist who has exhibited her paintings in various galleries and museums throughout the country.  www.janicehechter.com 

NY Times best-selling author who lives in the Mid-Hudson Valley with her two rescue dogs.  She loves red jelly beans, the smell of pine trees, chocolate, animals, and being outdoors. 

www. susannahill.com

Children’s books author/illustrator, including: My Monsterpiece, All Colors, Dreidel Day, Astro Pea, The Klezmer Bunch, Purim Goodies, Masha Munching, Hanukkah Nights, My Hands Make the World. www.amaliahoffman.net

Received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.  She has published five picture books and two poetry collections. khosford.com

Leslie Kimmelman is the author of more than 50 popular and award-winning books for children, including THE EIGHT KNIGHTS OF HANUKKAH and her newest: READY, SET, RUN: The Amazing New York City Marathon. Leslie worked for almost twenty-five years as an editor at Sesame Workshop, where she also worked on the company's autism initiative and was a creator of the autistic Muppet, Julia. Leslie grew up outside Philadelphia, and now makes her home in Westchester County..  

  lesliekimmelman.com    

Colleen writes picture books and middle grade novels. Her titles include Lilla’s Sunflowers, A Promise Stitched In Time, and A Home Again, Love Made Me More (2022). www.ColleenRowanKosinski.com

Children’s book author and poet with a particular penchant for penning both playful and poignant picture books and poems – primarily in rhyme. Rebecca is the author of BRAINSTORM! and WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW and has six additional picture books forthcoming, including AFIKOMAN, WHERE’D YOU GO? A Passover Hide-and-Seek Adventure and I WILL ALWAYS BE. www.RebeccaGardynLevington.com 

 Author of the Case Closed series, The Mythics series, The Only Thing Worse Than Witches, Pilfer Academy, and Wizardmatch. She is originally from New Hope, Pennsylvania, and she currently lives in Philadelphia, where she writes full-time. Lauren is also a secret, undercover international detective—but don’t blow her cover.     laurenmagaziner.com  

Critically acclaimed author of the middle grade novels From the Desk of Zoe Washington and A Soft Place to Land. www.janaemarks.comCome meet over 100 children's authors.

An early childhood educator and friend of young children for more than 20 years, Cynthia has always made story time a centerpiece of her classroom, encouraging children’s imaginations to soar along with their language and discovery of the world around them. Cynthia is excited to share her storytelling with a wider audience with the publication of her first book, “How Can I Touch the Moon.”

Bob is a writer, designer, podcast host, children’s author, and teacher. What unites all of his work is the desire to help others move up in life – just as others have helped him.He is the author of the NY Times Bestselling children’s book, THREE LITTLE ENGINES, (a modern retelling of the beloved "The Little Engine That Could"). He also writes the Moving Up Mondays newsletter and edited the book Actions Speak Loudest: Keeping Our Promise for A Better World. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Esquire, The Boston Globe, PBS, NPR, Fast Company  and the Huffington Post. www.movingupusa.com

Writes nonfiction books for children and teens. She holds a PhD in English and teaches Children’s and YA Literature at Marist College. www.marie-theresemiller.com

Author of more than two dozen books for all ages, mostly nonfiction and informational fiction. Recent picture book titles include Barefoot Books WATER: A Deep Dive of Discovery; The Supreme Court and Us; and Patience, Patches (which, being narrated by a dog, is purely fiction). She lives in Vermont.  http://www.christymihaly.com/

The author/illustrator of more than 45 award-winning nonfiction and concept picture books, many using "gamification" to engage children and enhance learning. www.roxiemunro.com

Author of over twenty children’s books, including the bestselling UNICORN DAY series, HELP MOM WORK FROM HOME!, GOODNIGHT VEGGIES, and more. http://www.dianamurray.com

Author of the award-winning Wilcox & Griswold Mystery Series, as well as several picture books.

www.robinnewmanbooks.com

New York Times–bestselling author of 14 books for kids and teens, including the hit graphic novel Dear Justice League. https://michaelnorthrop.net

Author of written 12 books for children, including the popular "I Wanna Iguana."  Her most recent book is "Dudley's Day At Home."  www.karenkaufmanorloff.com

 Award-winning illustrator of Latino themed children’s picture books including: FRIDA KAHLO AND HER ANIMALITOS and WAITING FOR THE BIBLIOBURRO. His NEW book, GROWING AN ARTIST (Simon & Schuster), is his debut as both author and illustrator.https://johnparraart.com !

A ventriloquist and a multi-award-winning children's book author of 16 books.  A Crowded Farmhouse Folktale, is her latest book.

http://www.karenrostoker-gruber.com

First-time author of Welcome to Planet Positive, a book is to remind kids that they have the power to respond to life’s challenges with a positive mindset and find the gift and opportunity in everything. www.intentiongroup.com/planet-positive

Pat is an award-winning author and illustrator of picturebooks for children. She is most well-known as the illustrator of the highly acclaimed BISCUIT books. Pat loves spending her spare time playing music and tending her large flower garden. www.patschories.com 

As Co-CEO of Archie Comics, Nancy Silberkleit teaches globally that comic books encourage literacy and diversity conversations.  Her motto: Children + Comic Books = Reading, Knowledge, Confidence, & Creativity. 

Award-winning author of 30 books for children, including picture books and story picture books for middle readers, as well as middle-grade and young adult novels. Her books are concerned with imagination and its power, the extraordinary courage of children who think for themselves and “dare to reach out to the larger world.”  www.ronischotter.com

 Children’s author, living in New York. Her list includes Not So Fast, Max: A Rosh Hashanah Visit with Grandma and Obi’s Mud Bath. Annette appears on author panels and enjoys meeting young readers.   www.AnnetteSchottenfeld.com 

Award-winning author/illustrator of about forty books for children. She grew up in New York City and now makes her home in the beautiful Hudson Valley. www.lisathiesing.com

 Mid-Hudson Valley author/illustrator especially known for her nursery rhyme extensions, including The Itsy Bitsy Spider. Her books have charmed generations of readers and sold millions of copies worldwide. www.izatrapani.com 

Writes biographies of #WomenInSTEM and fiction. They have earned multiple starred trade reviews and received awards such as Outstanding Science Trade Book. 

www.lauriewallmark.com 

Award-winning author of IN MY MOSQUE (illus. Hatem Aly), and ONE WISH: Fatima al-Fihri and the World’s Oldest University, (illus. Mariam Quraishi), both published by HarperCollins. She loves writing about diverse cultures and little-known historical figures. Her forthcoming books include RAMADAN KAREEM, and SAMI’S SPECIAL GIFT.  www.moyuksel.com 

Author of middle-grade and young adult fiction. He resides in Hudson, New York with his wife , two children, and their crazy pup, Toby, where they spend much of their time in the great outdoors. Mark has always had a vivid imagination as child and used it as a tool to escape the daily struggles and trials of growing up, but his call to write did not manifest itself until his late twenties.  www.theoasisking.com 

Author of The Enchanted Snow Globe chapter book series, and picture books including Scarlet's Magic Paintbrush; Sadie’s Shabbat Stories; Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom; and Building Bridges: Peace, Salaam, Shalom (co-written with Callie Lovvorn and Shirin Rahman). Melissa is a Rate Your Story Judge, a volunteer with SCBWI/MetroNY, a Book Meshuggenahs member, and a past school Trustee. Melissa has worked as a lawyer, legal writing instructor, freelance writer/editor, and early childhood educator. She lives in NYC with her family, and enjoys theatre, museums, and Wordle. www.MelissaStoller.com 

 Roman Yasiejko went from doodling as a child to drawing and designing buildings as an adult.  He's an architect who lives in New York State's Hudson Valley with his wife, Rosemarie (and their stealthy cat, Misty).  Together they have two adult sons and two young grandchildren to whom he loves reading stories.  And now he pursues another passion - writing stories for children. 

www. romanyasiejko.com 

Author of the middle-grade biographies Becoming Emily: The Life of Emily Dickinson and A Girl Called Vincent: The Life of Poet Edna St. Vincent Millay (SCBWI 2017 Golden Kite Honor Book for Nonfiction); a picture-book about Alicia Markova, An Unlikely Ballerina; a collective biography, Dollmakers and Their Stories: Women Who Changed the World of Play; and co-author, with Krystyna Mihulka, of Krysia—A Polish Girl’s Stolen Childhood During World War II: A Memoir. She holds a degree in comparative literature from Brown University, and has taught reading and writing in independent schools in Manhattan.  www.kpgoddu.com 

 Jayne Pillemer is the author of Still Mine, a gentle picture book about loss and the endurance of love. She is a former children’s book editor. She lives in Westchester, NY with her husband, children and a heart full of love for people who are still hers. 

On instagram @jaynepillemerbooks 

Author-illustrator of the picture book TWINS and BEACH TOYS VS. SCHOOL SUPPLIES. He is also the illustrator of Bridget Heros’s TREEMENDOUS and her picture-book series SCIENCE BUDDIES (all from Crown/Penguin Random House), as well as CHEESE AND QUACKERS.  In addition, he is the host of DRAW WITH MR. MIKE, and is a member of the Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature, SCBWI, the Children’s Book Illustrator Group, and the Children’s Media Association.

 Maryann Macdonald has written more than thirty books for children of all ages.  She is the recipient of numerous awards and her books have been translated into many languages.  She works with children in schools in New York City, where she lives.  www.maryannmacdonald.com 

Author of GAME CHANGER, a YALSA Top Ten Pick for Reluctant Readers, an Amazon Best Book of The Month, a Junior Library Guild premiere selection, and the winner of the Kentucky and Rhode Island Middle School Reading Awards; RIVALS, an Amazon Best Book of The Month and Junior Library Guild Selection; and the upcoming DINGED, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection.   Tommy is also the author of the CHARLIE JOE JACKSON, CRIMEBITERS and PROJECT Z series, among other books for children.   tommy@tommygreenwald.com.

Sunday Magazine beauty columnist, and the author of twenty-seven books, most of them for children.  www.deborahblumenthal.com 

Saturday, September 23rd 

10:00 am - 4:00 pm

at the

Westchester Children's Museum

Children’s author and poet who loves getting lost in a good story. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines (including Highlights, Cricket, and the School Magazine) and anthologies (including A World Full of Poems, I Am a Jigsaw, and Shaping the World). Animals in Pants (Cameron Kids/Abrams) is her debut picture book. She grew up in Massachusetts and now lives in New York City with her husband and most excellent cat. To find out more, check out her website at SuzyLevinson.com and follow her on Twitter/IG @SuzyLevinson. 

https://suzylevinson.com/ 

 New York Times best-selling author of fifty books for kids and teens, including the award-winning picture book Library Lion (one of Time magazine’s 100 Best Children's Books of All Time). Her chapter books and novels include The Dragon of Trelian (VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers) and Evil Librarian (YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults; Sid Fleischman Humor Award). Her most recent title is She Persisted: Nellie Bly, a chapter-book biography of the groundbreaking American journalist. Michelle teaches writing in Lesley University’s low-residency MFA program. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.  www.michelleknudsen.com