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.

Author of the SCBWI Crystal Kite award-winning and CT Book Award finalist LET’S DANCE!. Valerie has eight more books scheduled for release. http://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

Illustrator of over 20 books for kids young and old, including the national best-seller Your Guide To Not Getting Murdered In A Quaint English Village, the Bots series (Little Simon), and a contributor to the New York Times #1 best-selling series, The Last Kids on Earth. Jay is also a creative director of Broadway advertising (and has worked on more than 100 Broadway shows.) 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

Writing was never my thing when I was younger. In fact written on the top of my college writing paper, in bold red I might add, was “F get a tutor”.  So I went into science. I did enjoy writing creative stories though, and after having kids ideas for stories flooded my brain. I decided to try and publish one of those ideas. After many rejections, one publisher liked my story which led to five books in the MONSTER&ME series as well as SEAVER THE WEAVER. My most recent works include THE BOOK TREE, and TREES MAKE PERFECT PETS.   https://www.paulczajak.com/ 

Award-winning author of twelve middle grade novels. Her most recent book is VIOLETS ARE BLUE, an SLJ Best Book of 2021. barbaradeebooks.com

Bestselling author of numerous children's books including, HOW TO TRAIN A TRAIN, THE CATAWAMPUS CAT, BAD BROWS, and GREAT, NOW WE'VE GOT BARBARIANS! He also wrote the story for the animated film ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS, but that was entirely by accident.  www.jasoncartereaton.com

Come meet Della Ross!

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/

A veteran nursery schoolteacher on a mission to preserve the magic of childhood. She is the author of ten picture books, including the Walter and Willy series about adorable piglet friends.  Bonnie has six more books scheduled for release in 2022 through 2023.  

www.bonniegrubmanbooks.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/ 

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

Writer and nursing professor who lives in New York with her family and the incorrigible Chewy Belle who is one of the main characters in my chapter book “The One Eyed Pug”.  She holds a PhD in nursing and has taken myriad writing classes. She refers to herself as an eclectic author as she writes in several genres.  She published her first award winning children’s books “Same Inside Different Outside” and “The One Eyed Pug” in 2017.  

 https://writerdebdolanhunt.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 with a particular penchant for penning playful yet poignant picture books and poems – primarily in rhyme.   

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.”

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 

Writes middle-grade fiction. Cabby Potts, Duchess of Dirt is her debut novel, and she’s super-excited to share it with kids.  https://www.kathleenwilford.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