KT Johnston
KT Johnston writes historical narrative nonfiction about ordinary animals from the dusty past who had an extraordinary impact on a person’s life, and in the process, left a mark on humanity itself.
Bank Street calls KT’s debut RAILWAY JACK: The True Story of an Amazing Baboon one of the “Best Children’s Books of the Year,” and her second book JUBILEE: The First Therapy Horse and an Olympic Dream was selected by the Jr. Library Guild as a Gold Standard in children’s literature.
KT earned a degree in biology and conducted wildlife studies before settling into a more stationary corporate career as an analyst. KT hopes to inspire children to be curious about our world one true story at a time.
▶ Downloadable Reading Guides ◀
Bonus: KT’s Pinterest m
If you like author KT Johnston here is the list of authors you may also like
Buy books on AmazonTotal similar authors (23)
-
Jessica Reid Sliwerski
Jessica Reid Sliwerski is a literacy specialist, reading enthusiast, and former elementary school teacher. This picture book was inspired by her own breast cancer treatment and recovery. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter.
Buy books on Amazon -
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is best known for his 2000 memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, which became a bestseller and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Eggers is also the founder of several notable literary and philanthropic ventures, including the literary journal Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, the literacy project 826 Valencia, and the human rights nonprofit Voice of Witness. Additionally, he founded ScholarMatch, a program that connects donors with students needing funds for college tuition. His writing has appeared in numerous prestigious publications, including The New Yorker, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine.
Buy books on Amazon -
Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) was born in Wexford on the South-East coast of Ireland in 1965, where he and his four brothers were brought up by his father and mother, who were both educators.
Buy books on Amazon
He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the Artemis Fowl novels, Eoin retired from teaching and now writes full time. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children. -
Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamillo, the newly named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2014–2015, says about stories, “When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another.” Born in Philadelphia, the author lives in Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week.
Buy books on Amazon
Kate DiCamillo's own journey is something of a dream come true. After moving to Minnesota from Florida in her twenties, homesickness and a bitter winter helped inspire Because of Winn-Dixie - her first published novel, which, remarkably, became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery Honor. "After the Newbery committee called me, I spent the whole day walking into walls," she says. "I was stunned. And very, ver -
-
Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Buy books on Amazon
Maryann Cocca-Leffler of NH, is the Author and Illustrator of over
60 books for children. Maryann’s book, Janine (2015) and its new sequel, Janine and the Field Day Finish (2016), were inspired by her daughter, Janine. Together they have developed a corresponding website, www.janinesparty.com with a mission to help change public perception of children with disabilities. Other books include, A Homemade Together Christmas, Bus Route to Boston and Bravery Soup.
Now a playwright, Maryann wrote a play based on her Princess KIM books. Princess K.I.M. The Musical won a National New Play Festival in 2012 and has had sold out performances on the East and West coasts. Princess K.I.M. The Musical is now represented by Stagerights.com, a licensing agen -
Tammy Yee
Tammy Yee is the author and/or illustrator of more than 40 children's books. She grew up in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi where she explored tide pools, swam in streams, and wrote and illustrated spooky stories her teachers politely read. After she graduated from college, she worked as a pediatric nurse.
Buy books on Amazon
Having children rekindled her love for picture books, so in 1994 she exchanged her stethoscope for a paintbrush, and she's been writing and illustrating ever since. In 2022, she was inducted into the Children's Literature of Hawaii's (CLH) Hall of Fame. -
Rebecca Stead
Rebecca Stead is the New York Times bestselling author of When You Reach Me, Liar & Spy, First Light, Goodbye Stranger, Bob, and, most recently, The List of Things That Will Not Change. Her books have been awarded the Newbery Medal, the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Fiction and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.
Buy books on Amazon
Rebecca lives in New York City, where she is always on the lookout for her next story idea. -
James Ponti
James Ponti is the New York Times Bestselling author of three Middle Grade book series: the DEAD CITY trilogy about a secret society that polices the undead who live beneath New York City; the Edgar Award-winning FRAMED! series about a pair of Sherlockian tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, D.C.; and the all-new CITY SPIES about an unlikely squad of five kids from around the world who form an elite MI6 spy team.
Buy books on Amazon
James grew up in Atlantic Beach, Florida and lives in Orlando. He's a die hard fan of the Boston Red Sox, the USC Trojans, and the Italian National Soccer Team. He loves travel, writing, and spending time with his amazing family. -
Jill Esbaum
Jill Esbaum is a full-time writer and author of I am Cow, Hear Me Moo!, I Hatched!, Stanza, and Tom’s Tweet, among many others. She lives on a farm with her husband and children in Dixon, IA.
Buy books on Amazon -
Emma Bland Smith
Emma Bland Smith is the award-winning author of twelve book for children. Her debut picture book was Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West. Many of Emma’s books include animals—wolves, dogs, pigs, even alligators! Emma is a librarian and author and lives in San Francisco with her husband, two kids, dog, and cat—but no wolf, pig, or alligator. Visit her online at emmabsmith.com and on Twitter at @emmablandsmith.
Buy books on Amazon -
Mac Barnett
Born to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac Barnett now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.
Buy books on Amazon -
Jess Keating
Jess Keating is an award-winning author, cartoonist, and zoologist, whose work has been featured in the New York Times, CBC, Buzzfeed, Parents Magazine, and more.
Buy books on Amazon
She is the creator of over a dozen fiction and nonfiction books, including Eat Your Rocks, Croc!, Shark Lady, Pink is for Blobfish, the Elements of Genius middle grade series, and the graphic novel series, Bunbun & Bonbon.
Get printables, videos, and more fun stuff for kids at https://www.jesskeating.com/ -
Laurie Ann Thompson
Laurie writes for children of all ages. She is dedicated to inspiring and empowering young readers through nonfiction and fiction that educates as well as entertains.
Buy books on Amazon -
Monica Arnaldo
Monica Arnaldo grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, where she was sometimes allowed inside her older brother's forts. Drawn to illustration by her passion for children's books, she combines a variety of media to create images full of character. She and her husband live in Montreal, Quebec, with their daughter, Beatrice.
Buy books on Amazon -
-
Megan E. Freeman
Megan E. Freeman attended an elementary school where poets visited her classroom every week to teach poetry, and she has been a writer ever since. Her New York Times bestselling novel in verse, ALONE, won the Colorado Book Award, the Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, and Vermont Children’s Book Awards, the High Plains Book Award, is an NCTE Notable Verse Novel, and is included on over two dozen "best of" and state reading lists.
Buy books on Amazon
Megan is also a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and the author of the poetry chapbook Lessons on Sleeping Alone. An award-winning teacher with decades of classroom experience, Megan is nationally recognized for her work leading workshops and speaking to audiences across the country.
Megan used to -
Jessie Oliveros
Jessie grew up watching Kansas sunsets, and she’ll always have wild sunflowers and gold-tipped cornfields in her heart. She spent her college-life climbing mountains in Utah and striving for higher vistas. After a fulfilling career as a registered nurse, Jessie hung up her stethoscope to grow children and stories. She loves root beer floats, autumn, and running in the rain. These days you can find her in the Texas hill country with her husband and their five kids.
Buy books on Amazon -
Vashti Harrison
Vashti Harrison, author and illustrator of the bestselling Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, is an artist, author, and filmmaker with a passion for storytelling. She earned her MFA in film and video from California Institute of the Arts, where she snuck into animation and illustration classes to learn from Disney and DreamWorks legends. There she rekindled a love for drawing and painting. Now she uses her love for both film and illustration to craft beautiful stories for children.
Buy books on Amazon -
Jamie Sumner
Jamie Sumner is the author of the critically-acclaimed middle-grade novels, Roll with It, Tune It Out, and One Kid's Trash. Her forth middle-grade novel The Summer of June hits shelves on May 31st, 2022 with Atheneum Books for Young Readers. She is also the author of the nonfiction parenting books, Eat, Sleep, Save the World and Unbound.
Buy books on Amazon
She has also written for the New York Times and the Washington Post as well as other publications. She loves stories that celebrate the grit and beauty in all kids. She and her family live in Nashville, Tennessee. Connect with her at Jamie-Sumner.com -
Ashley Benham-Yazdani
Ashley Benham-Yazdani is a picture book author/illustrator and nature lover. She is passionate about arts education and has taught illustration courses at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and at Towson University. Her debut book, A Green Place to Be, is currently available from Candlewick Press and can be found at your local bookstore.
Buy books on Amazon
Her tools of the trade are watercolors, colored pencils, and Photoshop, but she also enjoys embroidery, block printing, and screen printing.
When not pushing pigment or pixels around, Ashley can be found reading, knitting, or running around in the great outdoors. She lives in Davis, CA with her husband and their two children. -
Meg Eden Kuyatt
Meg Eden Kuyatt is a 2020 Pitch Wars mentee, and teaches creative writing at Anne Arundel Community College. She is the author of the 2021 Towson Prize for Literature winning poetry collection “Drowning in the Floating World” (Press 53, 2020) and children’s novels, most recently “Good Different” (Scholastic, 2023). Find her online at www.megedenbooks.com or on Twitter at @ConfusedNarwhal and Instagram at @meden_author.
Buy books on Amazon -
Tammy Yee
Tammy Yee is the author and/or illustrator of more than 40 children's books. She grew up in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi where she explored tide pools, swam in streams, and wrote and illustrated spooky stories her teachers politely read. After she graduated from college, she worked as a pediatric nurse.
Buy books on Amazon
Having children rekindled her love for picture books, so in 1994 she exchanged her stethoscope for a paintbrush, and she's been writing and illustrating ever since. In 2022, she was inducted into the Children's Literature of Hawaii's (CLH) Hall of Fame.