Crystal Bowman is a former preschool teacher, award-winning author, national speaker, and Mentor for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). She has written more than 100 books for children, three books for women, numerous magazine articles, and Bible study materials. She also writes stories for Clubhouse Jr. magazine and lyrics for children's piano music. She graduated from Calvin College with a degree in elementary education and studied early childhood development at the University of Michigan. She has written books for many popular children's series, such as Little Blessings, BOZ the Bear, and I Can Read! She is the co-author of Our Daily Bread for Kids, My Mama and Me, and M is for Manger. She and her husband live in Florida.

Connect with Crystal on:

CrystalBowman.com

Facebook (@crystaljbowman)

“Mike Nappa is an old friend and a very talented writer. I recommend him highly!”

—Scott Derrickson, Director of Marvel Studios Dr. Strange.

MIKE NAPPA is a practical theologian, as well as a bestselling and award-winning author. His highlight reel includes VeggieTales comics, popular suspense novels, and narrative design for the gaming industry. He writes “coffee-shop theology” books and lots of articles on random topics such as data intelligence, biblical studies, pop culture, the publishing industry, and pretty much anything he finds interesting at the moment. Learn more about Mikey by Googling his name or by visiting: nappaland.com/mikenappa.

"Mike Nappa's Annabel Lee is a fast-paced thriller … From the first chapter on, I found it impossible to put down."

—Lois Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Amy Wakefield Nappa was born on November 10, 1963, in Portsmouth, Virginia. She moved to heaven on September 11, 2016. Amy was a bestselling and award-winning author, but more importantly she was a sister, a wife, a mother, grandmother, and friend. She loved her family and her friends dearly. Her greatest joys were to spend time with family, to hang out with her friends, to laugh, and to mentor those a little behind her in the journey of life. Amy loved Jesus with all her heart, and her greatest desire was to be remembered as a woman who shined the love of Jesus. Learn more at: AmyNappa.com

Stacie Maslyn has written over 20 stories for children. She has been in MOPS since 1990, and has considered having a baby every five years just so she doesn't have to leave. Stacie, her husband Darren, and their four children live in Mission Viejo, CA.

Michelle Medlock Adams is a best-selling author and an award-winning journalist, earning top honors from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Hoosier State Press Association.

Author of over 100 books with more than 4 million books sold, Michelle is also a New York Times Bestselling ghostwriter and has won more than 70 industry awards for her own journalistic endeavors, including the prestigious Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book in 2020, 2019 and 2018 for “How Much Does God Love You?” “Dinosaur Devotions” and “My First Day of School”. And, over the past three years, she has added several first place honors from the Christian Market Book Awards, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, and the Illumination Book Awards in multiple categories.

Since graduating with a journalism degree from Indiana University, Michelle has written more than 1,500 articles for newspapers, magazines and websites; acted as a stringer for the Associated Press; written for a worldwide ministry; hosted “Joy In Our Town” for the Trinity Broadcasting Network; blogged twice weekly for Guideposts from 2013 to 2015; written a weekly column for a Midwest newspaper; and served as an adjunct professor at Taylor University three different years. Today, she is President of Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; an online instructor for the Serious Writer Academy; and a much sought-after speaker at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States. When not working on her own assignments, Michelle ghostwrites articles, blog posts, and books for celebrities, politicians, and some of today’s most effective and popular ministers.

Michelle is celebrating the recent release of her books, What Is America?; How Much Does God Love You?; Platinum Faith (co-authored with Bethany Jett); and They Call Me Mom (co-authored with Bethany Jett); Cuddle-up Prayers; The Perfect Persimmon; and I Love You Bigger Than the Sky.

Michelle is married to her high school sweetheart, Jeff, and they have two daughters, Abby and Allyson, two sons-in-law, two granddaughters and two grandsons. She and Jeff share their home in Southern Indiana with a miniature dachshund, a rescue Greyhound/Lab mix, and two cats. When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys bass fishing, cheering on Indiana University sports teams and the Chicago Cubbies, and all things leopard print.

Follow Michelle on her website and social media:

www.MichelleMedlockAdams.com

www.MichelleMedlockAdams.com/BLOG

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/INwritergirl/

Twitter and Instagram: @INwritergirl

Mona Hodgson is the author of 43 Childrens Books and Inspirational, Historical Romance, an Arizona Girl, Taco Tuesday Fan, Happy Glamper, Grace Dweller, Neuroendocrine Cancer Survivor. Mona from Arizona is the author of 31 children's books and 12 historical novels and novellas for adults. Her most popular books include: Bedtime in the Southwest, I Can Talk to God, Real Girls of the Bible: A 31-Day Devotional, The Princess Twins Collection--4 Books in 1, I Can Talk to God, The Best Breakfast, and The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek novels. Learn more at www.MonaHodgson.com.

Sue Buchanan is the coauthor of the bestselling I Love You This Much.  She is also the author of I’m Alive and the Doctor’s Dead, Girls Just Gotta Have Fun, Duh-Votions, and Mud Pie Annie, and coauthor of Friends Through Thick and Thin.  Sue lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rob Scotton is the author and illustrator of the bestselling Russell the Sheep and Russell and the Lost Treasure. His work can also be found on greeting cards, ceramics, textiles, prints, stationery, and glassware. An honors graduate of Leicester Polytechnic, Rob now lives in Rutland, England, with his wife, Liz, who is also an artist.

The Berenstain Bears celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 2012.

Stan and Jan Berenstain were already successful cartoonists for magazines and adult humor books when they began writing children's books. The first story starring the bear family, The Big Honey Hunt, appeared in 1962. Since then, more than 370 Berenstain Bears books have been published, and more than 300 million copies have been sold. What began as an idea sparked by their young sons' love of reading has become over the years arguably the best-selling children's book series ever.

Since their inception, the Berenstain Bears stories have expanded to include picture books, beginning readers, and chapter books--even a hit TV show on PBS. Writing and illustrating the books has become a Berenstain family affair. Mike joined with his parents as a creative team in the late 1980s. The Bear family has expanded over the years as well. Sister Bear arrived in 1974, and baby Honey joined the family in 2000.

Though Stan died in 2005 and Jan in 2012, Mike continues to create the delightful Berenstain Bear adventures from his studio in Pennsylvania.

www.berenstainbears.com

Stan and Jan Berenstain were already successful cartoonists for magazines and adult humor books when they began writing children's books. The first story starring the bear family, The Big Honey Hunt, appeared in 1962. Since then, more than 370 Berenstain Bears books have been published, and more than 300 million copies have been sold. What began as an idea sparked by their young sons' love of reading has become over the years arguably the best-selling children's book series ever.

Since their inception, the Berenstain Bears stories have expanded to include picture books, beginning readers, and chapter books--even a hit TV show on PBS. Writing and illustrating the books has become a Berenstain family affair. Mike joined with his parents as a creative team in the late 1980s. The Bear family has expanded over the years as well. Sister Bear arrived in 1974, and baby Honey joined the family in 2000.

Though Stan died in 2005 and Jan in 2012, Mike continues to create the delightful Bear adventures from his studio in Pennsylvania.

www.berenstainbears.com

Jane O'Connor is the author of more than thirty books for children, including the New York Times bestselling Fancy Nancy series, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser, and the Nina, Nina Ballerina stories, illustrated by Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan. Fancy Nancy was nominated for the Quill Award for Best Picture Book in 2007. The Emperor's Silent Army: Terra Cotta Warriors of Ancient China won Booklist's Best Nonfiction Book for Young Readers in 2000. Jane has two grown sons. She was born, bred and still lives in New York City with her husband and their canine companion, Arrow.

Stan and Jan Berenstain introduced the first Berenstain Bear books in 1962 and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Berenstain Bears during 2012! Mike Berenstain grew up watching his parents work together to write about and draw these lovable bears. Eventually he started drawing and writing about them too. Though Stan died in 2005 and Jan in 2012, Mike continues to create the delightful Bear adventures from his studio in Pennsylvania.

www.berenstainbears.com

Since 1978 Doug Cushman has illustrated over 125 children's books, thirty or so of which he wrote as well. Among his many honors he has gained a place on the New York Times Children’s Best Sellers list and on the 2003 Children’s Literature Choice list. The first book of his popular beginning reader series featuring Aunt Eater was a Reading Rainbow Book. He has received a National Cartoonist’s Society Reuben Award for Book Illustration, the 2004 Christopher Award for his book illustrations, a 2007 and 2010 Maryland Blue Crab Award and the 2009 California Young Readers Medal. He illustrated the best selling “Can’t Do” series, including What Dads Can’t Do and What Moms Cant Do for Simon and Schuster. His recent titles include Halloween Good Night and Christmas Eve Good Night, which received a starred review from Kirkus. His first book of poems, Pigmares is due to be published in 2012. He has displayed his original art in France, Romania and the USA, including the prestigious Original Art, the annual children’s book art show at the Society of Illustrators in New York City. He is fan of mystery novels and plays slide guitar horribly. He enjoys cooking, traveling, eating and absorbing French culture and good wine—even designing a wine label for a Burgundy wine maker—in his new home in Paris, France.

Herman Parish was in the fourth grade when his aunt, Peggy Parish, wrote the first book about Amelia Bedelia. The lovable, literal-minded housekeeper has been a member of his family ever since. Peggy Parish died in 1988. She would be proud and delighted to know that with Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia; Bravo, Amelia Bedelia!; Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor and now Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia, her nephew is carrying on -- for a new generation of readers -- the tradition she began years ago.

In His Own Words... "In true Amelia Bedelia fashion, I backed into writing these books about the literal-minded housekeeper who children laugh at and love. Amelia Bedelia was created by my aunt, Peggy Parish. Although she passed away in 1988, Peggy still received fan mail from children. They wondered when the next Amelia Bedelia book would be out. Then other children's authors wrote and volunteered to continue the series. I felt uneasy about Amelia Bedelia leaving our family. As I was in the fourth grade when she first appeared, I had literally grown up with her. So I decided to try to write a new Amelia Bedelia adventure. My two sisters and my family were very supportive and encouraged me. I'd had experience in writing advertisements. I reread the Amelia Bedelia stories to figure out what made them funny. I realized that everyday life overflows with idiomatic expressions, literalisms, and homophones. It's amazing more people don't get confused-besides Amelia Bedelia! My first book, Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia, took me a year to think about and one night to write. I had been collecting ideas, homonyms, and expressions. Whenever I heard them, I jotted them down: on napkins in restaurants, on my newspaper while riding the bus, and on agenda sheets in business meetings.

I stockpiled these fragments in a folder until one Sunday night, with my family asleep, I decided that it was now or never. I sat down around ten o'clock and began to write. I was so focused on the story that I finished as the sun came up on Monday morning. Naturally, the story needed revision, but the essence was captured in that all-night writing spree.

I am fortunate that my editor, Susan Hirschman, and the illustrator, Lynn Sweat, had worked with Peggy on many Amelia Bedelia books. That helped make the transition from Peggy's books to mine as seamless as possible.

I feel very lucky to be writing Amelia Bedelia books and continuing a family tradition. But the best reward was when a child wrote Peggy Parish a fan letter. It said that Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia is the best book she has written. To me, that's the highest compliment I could hope for."

Sarah Weeks is the author of more than 50 books for young readers including So B. It, Pie, Honey, Save Me a Seat and Glamourpuss. Her poignant bestselling novel, SO B IT has been adapted for the big screen. The movie, starring Alfre Woodard, Jessica Collins, Dash Mihok and introducing Talitha Bateman will be released on October 6th, 2017. Follow the movie on Facebook at So B. It Film.

IF YOU LOVED THE BOOK, YOU'LL LOVE THE MOVIE

Ms Weeks lives in Nyack New York, and is available for author visits. Visit her at www.sarahweeks.com/

photo by Mike Avazanno

Kevin Henkes is the author and illustrator of close to fifty critically acclaimed and award-winning picture books, beginning readers, and novels. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon in 2005. Kevin Henkes is also the creator of a number of picture books featuring his mouse characters, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Lilly’s Big Day and Wemberly Worried, the Caldecott Honor Book Owen, and the beloved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. His most recent mouse character, Penny, was introduced in Penny and Her Song (2012); her story continued in Penny and Her Doll and Penny and Her Marble (a Geisel Honor Book). Bruce Handy, in a New York Times Book Review piece about A Good Day, wrote, “It should be said: Kevin Henkes is a genius.” Kevin Henkes received two Newbery Honors for novels—one for his newest novel for young readers, The Year of Billy Miller, and the other for Olive’s Ocean. Also among his fiction for older readers are the novels Junonia, Bird Lake Moon, The Birthday Room, and Sun & Spoon. He lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin. You can visit him online at www.kevinhenkes.com.

Hi! I'm Ree Drummond, also known as The Pioneer Woman. After marrying a cattle rancher, moving to the country, and having babies for ten years, I started a blog on a whim in 2006. There, I shared stories from my childhood, photos of my children growing up in the country, and eventually, recipes I cooked for my family. This eventually led to my first cookbook, which was released in 2009, and two cookbooks since. I love writing about food (and taking photos of food!) both in my cookbooks and on my website. I also love eating the food I write about!

I have enjoyed writing a series of children's picture books based on my very lethargic and malodorous Basset Hound named Charlie. "Charlie the Ranch Dog" has been a sweet experience for me.

My Food Network show, "The Pioneer Woman," premiered in 2011 and it's still being filmed on the Oklahoma ranch I share with my husband and four children.

Visit my website, ThePioneerWoman.com for more up-to-the-minute details!

Doreen Cronin is the successful author of many bestselling picture books, including Thump, Quack, Moo: A Whacky Adventure; Bounce; Wiggle; Duck for President; Giggle, Giggle, Quack; Dooby Dooby Moo; and the Caldecott Honor Book Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Susan Hill Long is the award-winning author of books for young readers include JOSIE BLOOM AND THE EMERGENCY OF LIFE; THE MAGIC MIRROR: CONCERNING A LONELY PRINCESS, A FOUNDLING GIRL, A SCHEMING KING, AND A PICKPOCKET SQUIRREL; and WHISTLE IN THE DARK. She lives in Oregon with her family. She has come late in life to a love of chocolate, proving that people really do grow and change.

Karen Poth is the director of design at Big Idea Productions. Prior to coming to Big Idea, she worked for the Disney Design Group in Orlando, FL. She holds a master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri. She lives with her husband in Chicago, IL.

Victoria Kann is the award-winning illustrator and author of the picture book series featuring the whimsical and effervescent character Pinkalicious. Victoria coauthored and illustrated the first two books, Pinkalicious and Purplicious. In addition, she cowrote the play Pinkalicious: The Musical. She wrote and illustrated the New York Times number-one bestsellers Goldilicious, Silverlicious, and Emeraldalicious. Victoria is currently working on several more books about the adventures and antics of Pinkalicious.

You can enjoy the further adventures of Pinkalicious in her early reader and I Can Read book series. Pinkerellas and Pinkerbelles will be entertained by the Pinkalicious doodle, activity, and sticker books.

Victoria is working on several more books about the adventures and antics of Pinkalicious. Readers can sign up for the Pinkalicious newsletter, download activity pages, get Pinkalicious party ideas, curriculum guides, and even pinkafy themselves at the Pinkalicious website. You can communicate directly with Pinkalicious on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Syd Hoff is a much-loved and much-read author and illustrator of numerous books for children. Born and raised in New York City, he studied at the National Academy of Design and sold his first cartoon to The New Yorker when he was eighteen. Since then his cartoons have become a regular feature in many magazines and newspapers. Syd Hoff and his wife live in Miami Beach, Florida.

Edgar-nominated author Bruce Hale is passionate about inspiring reluctant readers to read. He has written or illustrated more than 60 seriously funny books for children, including the popular Chet Gecko Mysteries series, Clark the Shark, and the Monstertown Mysteries series, as well as picture books like "Snoring Beauty" and "Big Bad Baby."

An actor and Fulbright Scholar in Storytelling, Bruce is in demand as a speaker, having presented at conferences, universities, and schools both nationally and internationally - from the Maui Writers Conference to British Columbia's Surrey International Writers Conference and International Schools around the globe. His acting resume includes regional commercials, theater, and an independent film, The Ride. Bruce's book, "The Malted Falcon," was an Edgar Award Finalist. "Murder, My Tweet" won the Little D Award for Humor Writing.

When he was a kid, Bruce knew exactly what he wanted to be: Daniel Boone. However, somewhere along the way, the right books and the right teachers encouraged him to try following his love of story in a different direction. He is eternally grateful to those who helped him along the path.

A little-known fact: Bruce loves jazz, and sings with a latin jazz group called Mezcal Martini in Santa Barbara

James Horvath is a children’s author and illustrator with more than 16 years experience creating whimsical and compelling illustrations that convey energy and emotion for a wide variety of clients and applications.

James graduated “Looney Tunes Laude” from the venerable school of Saturday Morning Cartoons, and received his advanced degree in adolescent time-wasting from the esteemed University of Marvel Comics. He also honed his skills through more traditional pursuits, such as graphic design and art direction for agencies and Fortune 500 companies, but that’s a mere subplot. His quirky and odd collection of award-winning characters hop and grunt across the pages of books, magazines and brochures, and dance off the shelves of retail stores. They’ve also been known to pop up — bug-eyed and bewildered — between the pixels of websites and interactive apps everywhere.

When not scratching and scribbling at his drawing table, James plays with his two young sons and beautiful wife, bangs around on the banjo, climbs trees, surfs and generally has a lot of fun. His children are following closely in his footsteps. Both are currently enrolled in the school of online cartoonery, studying Hanna Barbera 101 and asking questions like, “Who is this Pink Panther cat, and why is he so dang cool?!”

Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail, is his first of a series of three picture books from HarperCollins.

Thomas Michael Bond, CBE (born 13 January 1926) is an English author, best known for his Paddington Bear series of books. Bond was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2015.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Loz Pycock [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Jacqueline is a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians located on the Colombian border in Central America. The vision for The Princess Parable Series was born in these jungles. She is the wife of Pastor Ralph Johnson and the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses, Catherine, Alexandra Grace and Megan Joy and four young Knights, Zack, Payton, Maverick and Christopher. She delights in stirring young hearts and imaginations with Godly character and the certainty of becoming a child of the King for eternity. Her passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood and beyond. She lives in a castle perched high on a hill above the Pacific Ocean in Southern California.

I am blogging at www.theprincessparables.com/blog

SANDRA MARKLE

Sandra Markle is the author of more than 200 books for children, such as A Mother’s Journey (Charlesbridge, 2006), How Many Baby Pandas (Walker, 2009), The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs (Millbrook, 2011), Butterfly Tree (Peachtree Publishing, 2011). She has won numerous awards for this work, including Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book, SB& F finalist, John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers, Junior Library Guild Selection, Orbis Pictus Recommended Book, Charlotte Zolotow Award, and MORE.

She was honoured with the title of “Best of Children’s Non-Fiction” Georgia Author Of The Year award five times and was named one of 1999’s Women of the Year by Women in Technology International for her contributions to science and technology.

In addition to her books, Sandra Markle has developed science specials for CNN and PBS. She is also noted for developing On-Line Expedition: Antarctica, one of the first on-line educational programs and continued adding further on-line reports from Antarctica while working on book projects in 1996 and 1999 as a grantee for the National Science Foundation’s Artists and Writers Program.

Reviewers have heaped praise on Markle’s books, including:

Outside and Inside Bats “The author presents a particularly felicitous accord of words and pictures in an outstanding science book for the primary grades.” The Horn Book Magazine

Outside and Inside Alligators “This newest installment of the Outside and Inside series adds another fine book to a top-notch series.” Bookselling This Week, a Kid’s Pick of the Lists

Outside and Inside Dinosaurs It’s like sitting down with a dinosaur expert who happens to be a great teacher.” The Horn Book Magazine

Sandra Markle remains proudest, though, of the praise she has received in fan mail from children. She’s happy to fulfill the requests of the young readers that urge her to “please write more.”

Adam Lehrhaupt is the award-winning picture book author of more than a dozen books and several more he is not yet at liberty to discuss. Among the awards his titles have won are the E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor, the Wanda Gag Read-Aloud Award and the Hudson Readers Thumbs Up Award. His books have also been honored among ALA notable books, Huffington Post notable books, CCBC Choices, Bank Street Choices, Ontario Library Association ‘Best Bets’ and more.

Adam has traveled to six continents, performed on Broadway, and lived on a communal farm. He firmly believes that opening a book is a good thing, even if there are monkeys in it. Adam currently lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, with his wife, two sons, and two bizarre dogs.

Follow Adam on Twitter or Instagram @Lehrhaupt and on Facebook @AdamLehrhaupt for the occasional brilliant thought or picture. He can also be found at www.adamlehrhaupt.com

Jennifer Bové is an award-winning contributor to Ranger Rick Jr®, children's book author, and editor of three anthologies. Jen's work is often inspired by nature and her background in field biology, which brought her face-to-face with wild things like elephant seals, sandhill cranes, salmon, and snakes. She currently lives with her family under the wide open skies of Wyoming | jcbove.wixsite.com/jenniferbove

I'm here for Audible editions

Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: They feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It's like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship.

In 2004, Kimberly & James Dean sat down at their kitchen table to collaborate on a children's book together. Their dream finally became a reality with the release of Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses. Both left corporate jobs in the late nineties (James was an electrical engineer, Kimberly worked in the press office of the governor of Georgia) to pursue their passion for art, and they have experienced a life made up of strange and wonderful coincidences ever since. Pete the Cat has brought magic into their lives.

Laura Driscoll especially loves writing for kids who are just beginning to choose and read books on their own.

I'm the author of picture books including bestseller SHARK VS. TRAIN, Sibert Honor-winning THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS, and WHOOSH! LONNIE JOHNSON'S SUPER-SOAKING STREAM OF INVENTIONS, which has been included on 21 state reading lists.

Other well-known titles of mine include HOW TO MAKE A BOOK (ABOUT MY DOG), FIRE TRUCK VS. DRAGON, DAZZLE SHIPS, THE AMAZING AGE OF JOHN ROY LYNCH, and WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A VOICE LIKE THAT?

My new books include MOVING FORWARD: FROM SPACE-AGE RIDES TO CIVIL RIGHTS SIT-INS WITH AIRMAN ALTON YATES (illustrated by Steffi Walthall; a School Library Journal Best Book of 2022) and GLITTER EVERYWHERE! WHERE IT CAME FROM, WHERE IT'S FOUND & WHERE IT'S GOING (illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat; June 2023).

I visit schools by the score and also love speaking to professional gatherings of librarians, educators, and fellow writers.

I'm married to middle-grade/YA novelist Jennifer Ziegler (WORSER, HOW NOT TO BE POPULAR). Jennifer and I have four adult children and one dog, and we co-host the children’s literature video series “This One’s Dedicated to…” in which we talk with other authors and illustrators about the dedications they’ve written for their books.

Jennifer and I live in Austin, where I serve as a council member of the Texas Institute of Letters, a 501(c)(3) non-profit honor society founded in 1936 to celebrate Texas literature and to recognize distinctive literary achievement.

For more information about me, please visit www.chrisbarton.info.

Tadgh Bentley is a picture book author and illustrator from the UK, now living in South West Ohio with his wife Emily and dog Atticus. He is the author-illustrator of 'Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups', 'Samson: The Piranha Who Went to Dinner', and 'Little Penguin and the Lollipop'. You can visit him online at www.tadghbentley.com.

Alexandra West is a writer and editor with a career in licensed publishing. She has written children’s book for many different publishers such as Disney Press, Marvel Press, HarperCollins, and Penguin Random House. A Texas cowgirl turned New Jerseyan, Alexandra enjoys spending time with her family and an incorrigible French Bulldog named Hamlet.

Katharine Kenah's Family Favorite is her grandmother's grandmother's brownies. The recipe for these delicious, fudgy-rich treats has been passed down for generations. Besides these delightful easy readers about Room 75, Katharine has written The Dream Shop, Eggs Over Easy, and many exciting nonfiction books for children. She lives with her family in Granville, Ohio.

Zondervan is a world-leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. Zondervan, as part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company's products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, MI. For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.

Crockett Johnson (1906-1975) was the writer and/or illustrator of over 20 books for children, including his beloved classic HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON (Harper, 1955), as well as seven subsequent adventures starring Harold, and THE CARROT SEED, written by his wife, Ruth Krauss (Harper, 1945). He was also the creator of “Barnaby,” one of the most popular comic-strips of the Twentieth Century. (A Barnaby selection appears in LITTLE LIT: STRANGE STORIES FOR STRANGE KIDS, Harper, 2001.)

Mr. Johnson received his art training at New York University and Cooper Union, and in his later years exhibited a series of geometric paintings, which were well-received by both the mathematical and artistic communities.

Gene Zion and two-time Caldecott Honor winner Margaret Bloy Graham have collaborated on several favorite stories about Harry: Harry by the Sea, Harry the Dirty Dog, and No Roses for Harry.

N. D. Wilson is the author of Leepike Ridge, a children's adventure story, and 100 Cupboards, the first installment in a multi-world fantasy series. He enjoys high winds, milk, and night-time. He received his Masters degree from Saint John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, is the managing editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine and is also a Fellow of Literature at New Saint Andrews College. His writing has appeared in Books & Culture, The Chattahoochee Review, and Esquire

Alyssa Satin Capucilli is the author of the popular books about the little yellow puppy named Biscuit. She lives in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Photo from Goodreads.

Jory John is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and two-time E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor recipient.

Jory’s work includes the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book, "The Good Egg," and the #2 New York Times bestselling picture book, "The Bad Seed." He is also the author of the popular picture books, "Penguin Problems" and "Giraffe Problems," the award-winning Goodnight Already! series, the New York Times bestselling Terrible Two series, the recent picture books "Quit Calling Me a Monster!" and "Can Somebody Please Scratch My Back?" and the international bestseller "All my friends are dead," among many other books for both children and adults. Jory's forthcoming picture books, in 2019, include "That's What Dinosaurs Do!", illustrated by his frequent collaborator, Pete Oswald.

Jory’s books have won numerous state book awards, most recently the North Carolina Children’s Book Award, the Florida Sunshine State Reading Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award of Vermont, the Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award, the Volunteer State Book Award of Tennessee, the North Dakota Library Association Flicker Tale Award, the South Carolina Children’s Book Award, the Oregon Spirit Book Award Honor Prize, and his work was shortlisted for the Texas Bluebonnet Award. His books were also twice-nominated for the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in England.

In addition to the books mentioned here, Jory has written for the New York Times, the Guardian, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Believer, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and BuzzFeed, among many other publications. His work has also been featured in The Best American Nonrequired Reading, The Best of McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Reader's Digest, and more.

For more than six years, Jory worked as the programs director at 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing and educational center in San Francisco's Mission District, founded by Dave Eggers. In that time, he conceptualized and edited, "Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids' Letters to President Obama," which was featured on "This American Life."

Find Jory at www.joryjohn.com or on Twitter @IamJoryJohn

“This is Mr. Waber. Mr. Waber is the man who writes those stories about Lyle the Crocodile” is sometimes the way I am introduced to a child. We greet each other, the child and I, and I begin to imagine disappointment in the wide-eyed gaze. Perhaps there was an expectation the “real” Lyle would leap out from behind this not-unusual-looking author. It is tempting but I resist becoming Lyle and behaving in some ingratiating fashion to desperately compensate for the absent crocodile hero. I offer, instead, to show off some of my Lyle memorabilia, a collection acquired mostly through the generosity of good-humored friends and readers.

My own early efforts at drawing were mostly confined to the laborious copying of photographs of film stars and other celebrities. I received respectable grade in art classes during my school years but doubt I thought it seriously indicated a career direction. Perhaps art seemed too frivolous for one raised during the Depression. Besides, I grew up a rather earnest young man and chose instead to major in finance at the University of Pennsylvania. After just one year of schooling, World War II interrupted those rather high-minded plans. Perhaps it was moving about, meeting people of various backgrounds and experience — I don’t recall a precise moment—but somehow during those army days my interest shifted to drawing and painting.

Returning to civilian life, I discarded high finance for enrollment at the Philadelphia College of Art. It was a decision I never regretted. During the four years I attended school I found great joy in painting and drawing. Soon after graduating, and newly married,

Ethel and I moved to New York, a city we loved at once and still do. I celebrated that feeling with the eventual publication of The House on East 88th Street (1962). My first

New York employment was in the promotion department of Condé Nast Publications, and although I continued in the magazine field for many years, writing and illustrating children’s books was my primary interest since 1961.

My involvement with children’s books originated with some illustrations of children I carried in my art portfolio. Several art directors suggested that my drawings seemed suited for children’s books. At the same time, I was also having read-aloud sessions with my own three children. I am afraid enthusiasm for “their” books began, in fact, to cause them occasional discomfort. “Daddy, why don't you look at the grownups' books” they chided. Before too long I was mailing out stories and ideas to publishers. Rejections followed but after a time a cheery encouragement arrived from Houghton Mifflin Company, and to my delight, a contract was offered for Lorenzo.

In one way or another, I seem to find myself thinking of children’s books most of the time. I even enjoy the period in between books for it is then (I hope) that I am susceptible to all manner of adventurous thought. I’ve never been good at thinking at the typewriter. I seem to write best when in motion. Trains, subways, even elevators seem to shake ideas loose in my head. Although I write and illustrate, I believe if I had to choose between the two, I would choose writing. There’s a freedom about writing that appeals to me. You can do it almost anywhere—and I have.

Margarete Elisabeth Waldstein (who would be known to most of the world as Margret Rey) was born in Hamburg on May 16, 1906. Her future husband, Hans Augusto Rey, was born on September 16, 1898, in Hamburg, Germany. He grew up there near the world-famous Hagenbeck Zoo, and developed a lifelong love for animals and drawing. The two met briefly when Margret was a young girl, before she left Hamburg to study art. They were reunited in 1935 in Rio de Janeiro, where Hans was selling bathtubs as part of a family business and Margret was escaping the political climate in Germany. Margret convinced Hans to leave the family business, and soon they were working together on a variety of projects.

Hans and Margret were married in Brazil on August 16, 1935, and they moved to Paris after falling in love with the city during their European honeymoon. It was there that Hans published his first children's book, after a French publisher saw his newspaper cartoons of a giraffe and asked him to expand upon them. Raffy and the Nine Monkeys (Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys in the British and American editions) was the result, and it marked the debut of a mischievous monkey named Curious George.

After Raffy and the Nine Monkeys was published, the Reys decided that Curious George deserved a book of his own, so they began work on a manuscript that featured the lovable and exceedingly curious little monkey. But the late 1930s and early '40s were a tumultuous time in Europe, and before the new manuscript could be published, the Reys--both German Jews--found themselves in a horrible situation. Hitler and his Nazi party were tearing through Europe, and they were poised to take control of Paris.

Knowing that they must escape before the Nazis took power, Hans cobbled together two bicycles out of spare parts. Early in the morning of June 14, 1940, the Reys set off on their bicycles. They brought very little with them on their predawn flight -- only warm coats, a bit of food, and five manuscripts, one of which was Curious George. The Nazis entered Paris just hours later, but the Reys were already on their way out. They rode their makeshift bicycles for four long days until reaching the French-Spanish border, where they sold them for train fare to Lisbon. From there they made their way to Brazil and on to New York City, beginning a whole new life as children's book authors.

Curious George was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941, and for sixty years these books have been capturing the hearts and minds of readers throughout the world. All the Curious George books, including the seven original stories by Margret and Hans, have sold more than twenty-five million copies. So popular that his original story has never been out of print, George has become one of the most beloved and recognizable characters in children's literature. His adventures have been translated into many languages, including Japanese, French, Afrikaans, Portuguese, Swedish, German, Chinese, Danish, and Norwegian.

Although both of the Reys have passed away -- Hans in 1977 and Margret in 1996--George lives on in the Curious George Foundation. Established in 1989, this foundation funds programs for children that share Curious George's irresistible qualities--ingenuity, opportunity, determination, and curiosity in learning and exploring. Much consideration is given to programs that benefit animals, through preservation as well as the prevention of cruelty to animals. The foundation supports community outreach programs that emphasize the importance of family, from counseling to peer support groups.