Authors & Illustrators

Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong American writer, teacher and public speaker. Born in the refugee camps of Thailand to a family that escaped the genocide of the Secret War in Laos, she came to America at the age six. Yang holds degrees from Carleton College and Columbia University. Her work has won numerous awards…

Ravan Sader is an artist and book illustrator based in Amman, Jordan, who loves creating fun, adventurous characters. Ravan designs imaginary worlds, narrates visual stories, and enjoys painting.

Humera Malik is a teacher-turned-writer of Muslim faith and Pakistani roots. Through her writing, Humera brings to life characters that celebrate South Asian heritage and culture but whose stories are relatable to any child. Humera loves to travel and has lived in the US, UK, India, and Kuwait. She currently resides in Arlington, Virginia, with…

Beth Mills had a very boring job that didn’t involve any art before she decided she’d much rather draw and write things for kids. Beth studied illustration at the Academy of Art University, where she learned how much she loves creating characters and giving them interesting stories. Beth also likes bright colors, fun shapes, and…

Simone Shin is an award-winning editorial and children’s book illustrator based in California’s Bay Area. She has illustrated numerous children’s books since 2011, and her work can also be seen in magazines and newspapers.

Author of the art appreciation series, Bob Raczka’s Art Adventures, Bob Raczka studied both art and advertising in college. He has worked as an advertising writer for 30+ years, and has published more than 30 children’s books. His work has received multiple awards including the Claudia Lewis Award for his first poetry book, Guyku: A…

Jaime Kim was born South Korea and moved to the US when she was eighteen. Her favorite things are the sun, moon, and stars—which is why they always creep into her artwork. She lives in North Carolina.

Violeta Dabija lives in Moldova, a small Eastern European country. She has a strong traditional art background, a BA degree in Fine Arts/Graphic Design and 10 years of experience as a children’s book illustrator. She works in both traditional and digital media and often mixes them to produce delicate and atmospheric illustrations with a traditional…

Laura Purdie Salas is the author of more than 135 books for kids, including If You Were the Moon, Lion of the Sky, theCan Be… series, and Bookspeak! Poems about Books. Poetry and rhyming nonfiction books are her favorite things to write. Laura loves to do author visits, writing workshops, and teacher inservices. Read more…

Barry Gott lives in Ohio and has illustrated many children’s books, including all of the Dino-Sports and Dino-Holidays books.  

Lisa Wheeler is the award-winning author of the Dino-Sports and Dino-Holidays books. When she isn’t running around the country visiting schools, standing at podiums, and eating airport snacks, she resides in Michigan.  

Shafaq Khan is a middle grade author, lawyer, and mom. Born to Pakistani parents, Shafaq grew up in a small port city along the Persian Gulf called Jubail Industrial City; a city that barely makes it on most maps but would shape her worldview and forever cement her identity as a third culture kid. It…

Jennifer Mason-Black is the author of Devil and the Bluebird (Abrams 2016), which received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Shelf Awareness, and was included in the Locus Recommended Reading List 2016. Her short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Fireside Fiction, Daily Science Fiction, and The Sun, among others. She is a member…

Emma K. Ohland (she/they) is an author who has been telling stories since before she knew how to write them down. She grew up in the middle of a cornfield in Indiana, but her imagination often carried her away to other worlds. She graduated from Purdue University with a BA in English literature. Her first…

Lyn Miller-Lachmann is an author, educator, and editor. Her novels include Torch, winner of the 2023 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature, Gringolandia, Rogue, Moonwalking, and Eyes Open. She earned a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Masters in Fine Arts in Writing for…

Dr. Rebecca E. Hirsch is an award- winning children’s author with a PhD in plant biology. Her picture books include Plants Can’t Sit Still and Night Creatures: Animals That Swoop, Crawl, and Creep while You Sleep. She lives with her husband and three children in State College, Pennsylvania. You can visit her online at rebeccahirsch.com.

Il Sung Na was born in Seoul, South Korea. In 2001, he moved to London to pursue a BFA in illustration and animation at Kingston University, where he discovered a passion for children’s books. He completed his MFA in illustration practice at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) in 2015. Il Sung has illustrated several…

Sandra Nickel is a writer of nonfiction picture books for children. Her work includes The Stuff Between Stars, Nacho’s Nachos, and Breaking Through the Clouds. She is the winner of a Christopher Award and holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When at home in Switzerland,…

Ana Zurita lives in Spain. She was born by the sea in Valencia, where she completed her studies in fine arts. She is a big fan of the beach in winter, the color yellow, the smell of old books, and heavy blankets. She has illustrated many picture books.

Cassie Silva is an author of multiple children’s books and a social worker of Portuguese heritage living in Vancouver, Canada. Cassie loves volunteering, books, cats, and ice cream.