Lesléa Newman
Lesléa Newman (born 1955, Brooklyn, NY) is the author of over 50 books including Heather Has Two Mommies, A Letter To Harvey Milk, Writing From The Heart, In Every Laugh a Tear, The Femme Mystique, Still Life with Buddy, Fat Chance and Out of the Closet and Nothing to Wear.
She has received many literary awards including Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Fellowship Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award, the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, and two Pushcart Prize Nominations.
Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists.
Ms. Newman wrote Heather Has Two Mommies, the first children's book to portray lesbian families in a positive way, and
If you like author Lesléa Newman here is the list of authors you may also like
Buy books on AmazonTotal similar authors (84)
-
Michelle Meadows
Michelle Meadows is the author of many acclaimed books for children, including MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR: One Girl Can Make a Difference, MAXIE WIZ AND HER DRAGON, HOW TO LOVE A PONY, FLYING HIGH: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles and BRAVE BALLERINA: The Story of Janet Collins. Michelle also contributed research and writing to BLACK BALLERINAS: My Journey to Our Legacy by Misty Copeland. Michelle graduated from Syracuse University with a dual degree in journalism and literature. She is represented by literary agent Rosemary Stimola of the Stimola Literary Studio. Michelle grew up in Washington D.C. and now lives near the beach in Delaware with her husband.
Buy books on Amazon
Website: www.michellemeadows.com -
Khristina Chess
Khristina Chess is the award-winning author of several young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, Hollow Beauty, The Delinquent Hero, Junior Missing, and Unquiet Riot. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, and adventure.
Buy books on Amazon
Visit her online at www.khristinachess.com and on Twitter @KhristinaChess. -
Michael Genhart
Michael Genhart is an award-winning author of several children's books, as well as a clinical psychologist. He lives with his family in Marin County, California.
Buy books on Amazon -
Veera Hiranandani
Veera Hiranandani is the author of THE NIGHT DIARY, THE WHOLE STORY OF HALF A GIRL, and the chapter book series, PHOEBE G. GREEN. She has an MFA in fiction writing from Sarah Lawrence College and spent six years as a book editor. She now teaches creative writing at The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College and lives in New York with her family. She is working on her next novel.
Buy books on Amazon -
Dorson Plourde
Dorson Plourde is a writer and K-5 art educator living in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is influenced by the philosophical questions posed in children’s picture books (and by children themselves) as well as the compulsion to stay present in an age rooted in distraction. His work focuses on the intimacies embedded within suburban riff-raff, early onset nostalgia, and the anxieties that determine the day-to-day.
Buy books on Amazon
He is also an expert in owning a falcon, creating shelters, and climbing down Mount Katahdin because books about surviving in the wild are a must in Maine, which is where he grew up.
His debut picture book Garbage Gulls and the Spring 2025 follow up Unnaturally Blue were released by Kids Can Press. -
-
Wendy Ewald
Wendy Ewald (born in 1951) is an American photographer and educator.
Buy books on Amazon
Wendy Ewald was born in Detroit, Michigan, graduated from Abbot Academy in 1969 and attended Antioch College between 1969–74, as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she studied photography with Minor White. She embarked on a career teaching photography to children and young people internationally. In 1969 & 1970, she taught photography to Innu and Mi'kmaq Native-American children in Canada. Between 1976–80 she taught photography and film-making to students in Whitesburg, Kentucky, in association with Appalshop, a media co-op. In 1982, she traveled to Ráquira, Colombia, on a Fulbright fellowship working with children and community groups; spending a furt -
Lauren Castillo
Lauren Castillo received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She is the author and illustrator of the Caldecott Honor winning book Nana in the City, and the new early chapter book series Our Friend Hedgehog. Lauren has also illustrated several critically acclaimed picture books, including Kirkus Prize finalist Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera, Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley, and Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. She currently draws and dreams in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Buy books on Amazon -
Diana Murray
Diana Murray is the author of UNICORN NIGHT (an Amazon Best Book of the Year from the bestselling UNICORN DAY series) and GOODNIGHT, VEGGIES (a Jr. Library Guild Selection), as well as many other picture books and early readers. Diana grew up in New York City and still lives nearby with her husband, two creative kids, and a dancing dog. http://www.dianamurray.com
Buy books on Amazon -
Breanna J. McDaniel
Top Eight Things to Know About Me:
Buy books on Amazon
1) I’m from Atlanta, GA. To be more specific I grew up in College Park and East Point, GA surrounded by my siblings and cousins. While I will always love how vibrant my home community is, it’s changing quite a bit. I just hope some things never change, especially the menu at Big Daddy’s on Old National! Yum!
2) I write children’s books, my favorite genre is picture books and my first picture book,Hands Up!will be published in 2019 by Dial Books for Young Readers.
3) Growing up I dreamed of being a combo archaeologist/lawyer. I would make huge historical finds and then use my law degree to protect the artifacts that I found. My friends who are attorneys now tell me that’s not exactly how it works¯_(ツ)_/¯ Soooo -
Patrick Hulse
Patrick Hulse makes stuff for kids. Sometimes that stuff comes in a book, or wrapped in a tiny box, or stuck to the side of a giant glowing teddy bear. His debut picture book, At Our Table illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight, received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal. Patrick has authored and designed craft projects for Todd Oldham Studio, Kid Made Modern, Walmart’s Smarts & Crafts, Making with MoMA, and Crewcuts by J.Crew. He’s made pictures for Honest History Magazine and written poems for NYC’s Fifth Avenue.
Buy books on Amazon
Praise for AT OUR TABLE:
“An essential purchase for all libraries...a poignant debut.”
-School Library Journal, starred review
“Marvelously exemplifies the diversity of American holiday traditions and offers a more nua -
Jessica Herthel
Jessica Herthel is a private consultant for LGBTQ-inclusive school districts and the current president of her local PFLAG chapter. Previously, Jessica was the Education Director of the Stonewall National Museum and Archives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; the primary editor of an LGBTQ handbook for school administrators; and a curriculum advisor for Broward County Public Schools. Jessica is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
Buy books on Amazon -
Walter Dean Myers
pseudonyms:
Buy books on Amazon
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adu -
Sam McBratney
The 1943 born Northern Ireland native started writing children's books when he was a teacher in his thirties, with the aim of helping out students who had trouble reading. But he continued writing for a more-personal reason: "the act of imagining simply makes me feel good," he says. The fifty-seventh book of Sam McBratney's career, and his first book with Candlewick Press, was the much-loved GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, which has sold an astonishing 15 million copies worldwide, and is available in 37 languages. "This is not the sort of thing you expect when most of your books have been remaindered," the author admits. "But, as the frog trapped in the milk discovered, if you keep going, sometimes you find yourself walking on cream cheese."
Buy books on Amazon
Whe -
Yangsook Choi
Yangsook Choi is the author of the beloved classic THE NAME JAR. Growing up in Korea, she began drawing at age four and delighted in telling her grandmother scary stories at night. After moving to New York to pursue her art, she has written and illustrated many books for young readers.
Buy books on Amazon
Her books have been acclaimed as a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year, an American Library Association Notable Book, and with an International Literacy Association's Children's Book Award. She has also received 200+ rejection letters until she lost count.
Her past jobs include waiting tables at a smoky Korean BBQ restaurant, flying as a flight attendant, and drawing tiny pictures on fake nails. -
Jerry Pinkney
Jerry Pinkney was an American illustrator and writer of children's literature. Pinkney illustrated more than 100 books, including picture books, nonfiction titles and novels. Pinkney's works addressed diverse themes and were usually done in watercolors. He was the recipient of five Caldecott Honor books and the winner of the Caldecott Medal for The Lion and the Mouse. He also won the Coretta Scott King Award five times, the Coretta Scott King Honor four times, and was nominated for the prestigious international Hans Christian Anderson Award.
Buy books on Amazon -
Jacqueline Woodson
I used to say I’d be a teacher or a lawyer or a hairdresser when I grew up but even as I said these things, I knew what made me happiest was writing.
Buy books on Amazon
I wrote on everything and everywhere. I remember my uncle catching me writing my name in graffiti on the side of a building. (It was not pretty for me when my mother found out.) I wrote on paper bags and my shoes and denim binders. I chalked stories across sidewalks and penciled tiny tales in notebook margins. I loved and still love watching words flower into sentences and sentences blossom into stories.
I also told a lot of stories as a child. Not “Once upon a time” stories but basically, outright lies. I loved lying and getting away with it! There was something about telling the lie-story and -
Matt de la Peña
Matt de la Peña is the New York Times best-selling, Newbery-medal-winning author of six young adult novels and four picture books. Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific, where he attended school on a full athletic scholarship for basketball. de la Peña currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. He teaches creative writing and visits high schools and colleges throughout the country.
Buy books on Amazon
Visit Matt at: mattdelapena.com -
Yuyi Morales
Yuyi Morales is the illustrator of Kathleen Krull’s Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, whose accolades include a Pura Belpré Award and a Christopher Medal, as well as the Pura Belpré Award-winning Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes. Born and raised in Mexico, she now lives in northern California.
Buy books on Amazon -
Chris Singleton
Chris Singleton is an inspirational speaker and former professional baseball player who travels the country as a student achievement specialist. Chris has spoken to over 75,000 students and teachers across the nation and has helped thousands of students and teachers overcome hardships and excel in the classroom. Chris's speech on overcoming hate with love has been seen or shared millions of times and has gotten him featured on Lifetime, ESPN E:60, USA Today, CNN, and Fox News. Chris is a proud father of his son, CJ, and a proud husband to his high-school sweetheart, Mariana.
Buy books on Amazon -
Michael Joosten
Michael Joosten is a best-selling author and editor whose titles include My Two Moms & Me, My Two Dads & Me, Pride 1 2 3, and Lady Gaga: A Little Golden Book Biography. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety. His first book for adults, The Gay Icon's Guide to Life, will be published in spring 2024. He lives in New York City.
Buy books on Amazon
Find him on Instagram @michaeljoostenbooks to learn more about upcoming projects, appearances, and personal book recs. -
Kyle Lukoff
Kyle Lukoff writes books for kids and other people.
Buy books on Amazon
Before becoming a full-time writer, Kyle worked at five bookstores, in four libraries, for three schools, as two genders, through one intersection: people, and books. -
Gayle E. Pitman
Gayle E. Pitman, Ph.D. is a professor of psychology at Sacramento City College. Her writing, research, and teaching focuses on issues of gender and sexual orientation. She lives in Northern California.
Buy books on Amazon -
Drew Daywalt
Ever since his childhood in one of Ohio’s most haunted houses, writer director Drew Daywalt has been writing escapist fantasy and building worlds of his own. With a degree in Creative Writing, and a concentration in Children’s Literature from Emerson College in Boston, Daywalt set off to Hollywood where he spent years writing for Disney and Universal on such beloved shows as Timon & Pumba, Buzz Lightyear, and Woody Woodpecker, and where his animated series The Wacky World of Tex Avery garnered an Emmy nomination.
Buy books on Amazon
His first trip into live action landed him studio screenwriting and feature film directing work with such Hollywood luminaries as Quentin Tarrantino, Lawrence Bender, Tony Scott, Brett Ratner and Jerry Bruckheimer.
With an eye towa -
Michael Hall
Michael Hall is the author/illustrator of The New York Times bestseller, My Heart Is Like a Zoo, as well as the critically acclaimed Perfect Square, It’s an Orange Aardvark, Red: A Crayon’s Story, and Frankencrayon.
Buy books on Amazon
Before becoming a children’s author, Michael was an award-winning graphic designer whose work — including graphic identities for the City of Saint Paul, Macalester College, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the Hennepin County Medical Center — has been widely recognized for its simple and engaging approach.
Michael lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. -
Jessica Herthel
Jessica Herthel is a private consultant for LGBTQ-inclusive school districts and the current president of her local PFLAG chapter. Previously, Jessica was the Education Director of the Stonewall National Museum and Archives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; the primary editor of an LGBTQ handbook for school administrators; and a curriculum advisor for Broward County Public Schools. Jessica is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
Buy books on Amazon -
Isabel Quintero
Isabel Quintero is a writer, poet, teacher, wife, friend, sister, daughter, granddaughter, aunt niece, and a bunch of other things. She lives in the Inland Empire, where she was born and raised by Mexican immigrant parents and Mexican immigrant granddparents; the hospital where she was born in was converted to a Lowe's hardware store. That's how long ago she was born.
Buy books on Amazon
She learned to love reading and the written word from a very young age when her mother used to read to her Amelia Bedelia. That love was fostered by teachers and professors throughout her schooling and she is sure if they hadn't boosted her ego for all those years she would have never dared letting the world see what she had written.
Gabi, A Girl in Pieces is her first young a -
Miriam B. Schiffer
Miriam B. Schiffer is a co-author of the children's book review column "The Reading Chair" in Young Children, a journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This is her first book for children. She lives in Brooklyn.
Buy books on Amazon -
Grace Byers
Grace Byers is an actor and activist who stars in Fox’s hit series Empire. As a multiracial young girl and a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Grace was bullied throughout her childhood. This book was born out of her desire to empower young girls against the effects of bullying. In her spare time, she volunteers with the nonprofit antibullying organization Saving Our Daughters. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, actor Trai Byers. I Am Enough is her first book.
Buy books on Amazon -
Matthew A. Cherry
Matthew A. Cherry is an American film director, writer, producer, and former American football player. He wrote and directed two independent films, The Last Fall, and 9 Rides, and is currently an executive at Monkeypaw Productions.
Buy books on Amazon -
Joanna McClintick
Joanna McClintick is a debut children's book author and a licensed social worker at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in Manhattan. When she was dreaming about building her family, she wrote this poem to honor Pride's history of resistance and imagined sharing it with her future child one day. It has become a tradition to read it at their annual brunch the day before the Pride March with family and friends. Joanna McClintick lives with her wife and child in Brooklyn.
Buy books on Amazon -
Jessica Love
Jessica Love is an actor and the author-illustrator of Julián Is a Mermaid. She has a BA in studio art from the University of California, Santa Cruz, as well as a graduate degree from Juilliard. She has appeared in plays both on and off Broadway. Jessica Love lives in Brooklyn.
Buy books on Amazon -
Miriam B. Schiffer
Miriam B. Schiffer is a co-author of the children's book review column "The Reading Chair" in Young Children, a journal of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This is her first book for children. She lives in Brooklyn.
Buy books on Amazon -
Meghan Wilson Duff
As a kid, Meghan was Eloise if she had no Nanny and grew up living on a dirt road in a small town instead of at The Plaza. They drove adults up the wall by asking a million questions, and they were holding back. In high school and college, they wore a yellow Sony walkman to ward off unplanned conversations just in case people had the temerity to ignore that they were reading.
Buy books on Amazon
Meghan wanted to be a marine biologist for a long time, but somewhere along the way they got distracted by trying to figure out people and decided to study them. A clinical psychologist by training, they full time in the Psychology & Community Studies program at University of Maine at Machias and for the University of Maine's Mental Health & Rehabilitation minor.
They -
Cherry Mo
Cherry Mo grew up in Hong Kong and moved to the United States at the age of ten. HOME IN A LUNCHBOX is her debut picture book and was inspired by her first days of school in America. Cherry writes and illustrates stories that she hopes bring young readers a sense of comfort and belonging.
Buy books on Amazon
Praises for HOME IN A LUNCHBOX:
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
July/August 2024 Kids' Indie Next List Pick
"In an exceptional debut, Mo deploys digital illustrations that expertly use selective coloring to depict an experience of finding common ground." — Starred review from Publisher's Weekly
"Inspired by Mo's move from Hong Kong to the United States at the age of 10, this remarkable story about finding comfort in a new home by bringing along fam -
Stephanie Seales
Stephanie Seales is the California-born daughter of Panamanian immigrants. She's also a storyteller, dreamer, doer, and children’s book expert who’s worked in nearly every aspect of the industry. She understands the power of story and follows Toni Morrison’s advice, writing the books she wants to read. She dreams and creates with her magical canine companion, Pan, near the water in the Hudson Valley, NY.
Buy books on Amazon -
Michael Joosten
Michael Joosten is a best-selling author and editor whose titles include My Two Moms & Me, My Two Dads & Me, Pride 1 2 3, and Lady Gaga: A Little Golden Book Biography. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety. His first book for adults, The Gay Icon's Guide to Life, will be published in spring 2024. He lives in New York City.
Buy books on Amazon
Find him on Instagram @michaeljoostenbooks to learn more about upcoming projects, appearances, and personal book recs. -
Antwan Eady
Originally from Garnett, South Carolina, Antwan Eady is author of the award-winning picture book Nigel and the Moon, illustrated by Gracey Zhang.
Buy books on Amazon
Down the dirt roads of South Carolina’s Low Country is where Eady’s understanding of—and appreciation for—family, community, and nature unfolded. Now he shares those stories with the world. His upcoming titles include: The Last Stand, Poemhood: Our Black Revival (a Young Adult poetry anthology), The Gathering Table, Micah’s Rise, and Before the Bridge.
When he isn’t writing, he’s visiting schools, libraries, and colleges throughout the country.
A graduate of Clemson University, Antwan now lives in Savannah, Georgia. -
Winsome Bingham
Winsome Bingham is an author and literacy advocate for reading and authentic representation of children and communities in children’s literature. She is a connoisseur of soul food and a master cook (at KidLit dinner parties, reunions, and get-togethers).
Buy books on Amazon
Winsome is a teacher by trade and a US Army war and disabled veteran by circumstance. She received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults.
You can find her cooking up soul food on Sundays or taking THE WALK to the polls with friends and family. Winsome can also be found writing on a deck while waiting patiently with a camera to capture a submarine shooting out of the water. She lives on a fictional army post called FORT GOODE whe -
Maddox Lyons
Maddox Lyons is a transgender teen who lives in California with his parents, sister, and two dogs. After he came out in elementary school, Maddox and his family went in search of books for and about kids like him. There were very few, so he set out to write one. I'm Not a Girl is based on his true gender identity journey.
Buy books on Amazon
Maddox is a speaker and advocate for gay and gender diverse youth. He's been ambassador for TransFamily Support Services for several years. Maddox loves learning Spanish, figure skating, writing and reading.
He is represented by Kate McKean of the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. -
Richard Jackson
Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the database with this name. Not all books on this profile belong to the same person.
Buy books on Amazon -
Ellie Royce
Auntie Uncle: Drag Queen Hero is out now!
Buy books on Amazon
New picture book coming early 2021 with Ford St. Publishing.
Ellie Royce was born in Adelaide, South Australia and she's been telling stories ever since.
Ellie is the author of four books for children. Her new picture book "Auntie Uncle Drag Queen Hero" was published by POW! Kids in April 2020 . Ellie has another picture book due in 2021 with Ford Street Publishing.
Ellie truly believes in the power of stories to change the world for the better, so she writes and reads them all the time (quite often when she should be doing other things!).
These days Ellie lives in Northern New South Wales Australia and plans to keep writing visionary stories for kids and young adults forever. -
Majdi Osman
I'm Majdi and I’m interested in ways to improve the health and wellbeing of children and youth. I’m a physician-scientist researching the role of the gut microbiome in human health. I grew up in the UK and Sudan.
Buy books on Amazon -
Liza M. Wiemer
My latest YA contemporary novel, The Assignment, was published by Delacorte Press and was named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book, among other honors. I am also the author of Hello? and two non-fiction adult books, short stories, and newspaper and magazine articles. A pre-school to high school educator now conducting workshops and writing. I'm a Green Bay Packers fan and I love nature walks, rooftops, and fun socks.
Buy books on Amazon
Check out my TEDxTalk: Owning this will change your life https://youtu.be/rsyLf4d6Iuo
For school visits or speaking engagements, visit: http://www.LizaWiemer.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizamwiemer/
Unique "job" experiences: I spent a summer selling popcorn in a Koepsell's popcorn wagon while listening to awesome music on -
-
Andrea L. Rogers
Andrea L. Rogers is a writer from Tulsa, Oklahoma and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She graduated from the Institute of American Indian and Alaskan Arts with an MFA in Creative Writing. Currently, she is splitting time between Fayetteville, Arkansas, where she is a Ph.d. student at the University Arkansas and Fort Worth, Texas, where her family lives. Her book Mary and the Trail of Tears: A Cherokee Removal Survival Story was named an NPR Best Book of 202) by both NPR and American Indians in Children’s Literature.
Buy books on Amazon
Ms. Rogers is on the Board of the Fort Worth Public Library.
A member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, she is currently revising a middle grade mystery, writing an adult literary horror nov -
Anita Yasuda
Author of UP, UP, EVER UP: JUNKO TABEI'S PIONEERING EVEREST CLIMB, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu (Clarion, 2024)- a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection, DIWALI: A FESTIVAL OF LIGHT, illustrated by Darshika Varma (Penguin Random House, 2024), and BOLLYWOOD BEAT, illustrated by Devika Oza (Kids Can Press, 2026), as well as many other children's books. Represented by Lori Steel of SteelWorks Literary.
Buy books on Amazon -
Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic
Stephanie has done a few things in life. She has sold women shoes and frozen yogurt as well as smelly, expensive body lotion and smellier, even more expensive cheese. She has worked on a Jacques Pepin cooking show and been a cookbook editor. She has written about books, food, parenting, TV, vampire dating habits, cocktail trivia, and picky eating.
Buy books on Amazon
She has lived in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Ann Arbor, England, Boston, and San Francisco.
She has attended a swank ball at University of Cambridge with Prince Charles (not that he was her date or anything just that he was also invited) and rebuilt trails with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
Now she writes children's books surrounded by a few kids, a few cats, and one husband. She lov -
Karen Gray Ruelle
I'm a professional writer and illustrator, with 23 children’s books published so far and several others in the works. I write for all ages, from toddlers to adults, and enjoy working on my own, as well as in collaboration with other authors and illustrators.
Buy books on Amazon
In terms of style, my illustrations tend to be more whimsical than realistic, and I've worked in watercolor, oils, pastels, pen and ink, and collage. Lately, I've been experimenting with layering colors in oils and using the resulting swatches to create collage. It makes me happy to work with so many gorgeous, rich colors.
My writing ranges from extensively researched, powerful non-fiction narrative to humorous fiction and poetry, with some folktales and other stories thrown in for fun. I -
Claire Saxby
An Australian writer of fiction, non fiction and poetry for children
Buy books on Amazon -
Jay Leslie
Jay Leslie graduated from Duke University with degrees in English, international comparative studies, and religion. After writing for Issa Rae Productions and being shortlisted for Chimamanda Adichie’s Farafina Trust, she co-authored a project on James Baldwin with Duke professor Dr. Adam Hollowell. She is also the author of Who Did It First? 50 Politicians, Activists, and Entrepreneurs Who Revolutionized the World. She lives in Berlin, Germany.
Buy books on Amazon -
Gary Golio
Gary Golio is the author of several best-selling and award-winning musical picture-book biographies, including Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow, When Bob Met Woody, and Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane’s Musical Journey. Gary Golio lives in Hudson Valley, New York.
Buy books on Amazon -
Nico Tortorella
Nico Tortorella is an actor, television personality, and author of the poetry collection all of it is you. Nico stars in the hit series Younger and is an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. They live in New York.
Buy books on Amazon -
Brendan Wenzel
Brendan Wenzel is an author and illustrator based in upstate New York. His debut picture book, They All Saw a Cat, was a New York Times bestseller and the recipient of a 2017 Caldecott Honor. An ardent conservationist, he is a proud collaborator with many organizations working to ensure the future of wild places and threatened species.
Buy books on Amazon -
Loren Long
I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky in the 1970’s. We had no artists of any kind in the family. We didn’t know any artists. I liked sports, especially baseball. My mother read to me a lot. But I have to admit, my favorite subject in school was gym class. I also liked to draw. My parents encouraged me to keep drawing.
Buy books on Amazon -
Christine King Farris
Professor at Spellman College for 49 years and oldest sibling of Martin Luther King, Jr. Writer of a number of children's books.
From a CNN interview:As she sits in her office surrounded by those memories, she says it's now more urgent than ever that she add her own chapter to his story.
She's the only one left.
"I thought about all that I've been through and all these memories and sometimes it gets tough," she said. "By being the lone survivor, if I don't do this, a part of history will be left out."
Buy books on Amazon -
Stephen Briseño
Stephen Briseño is a middle school English teacher in San Antonio, Texas. Growing up, his grandfather, a Mexican immigrant, wove stories of life in Mexico and Texas and talked about the challenges immigrants faced. Stephen lives with his wife, daughter, and dog, Charlie. he can often be found enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee. The Notebook Keeper is his debut children's book.
Buy books on Amazon -
Edel Rodriguez
Edel Rodriguez is a Cuban American artist who has exhibited internationally with shows in New York, Los Angeles, Havana, Berlin, La Paz, Cape Town, Prague, and London. A regular contributor to the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Time magazine, he has created over two hundred magazine and book covers and illustrated several children’s books, including Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx, and is the author of Sergio Jumps and Sergio Saves the Game. Rodriguez’s artwork is collected by various institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution, and has received numerous awards from the Art Directors Club and the Society of Illustrators. Worm is his first graphic novel. He lives in New Jersey.
Buy books on Amazon -
Norman H. Finkelstein
Buy books on Amazon
Norman H. Finkelstein is the author of eighteen nonfiction books, mainly for young readers. He recently retired as a school librarian for the Brookline (Massachusetts) Public Schools but continues into his 32nd year of teaching history in the Prozdor Department of Hebrew College. Among his writing honors are two National Jewish Book Awards, the Golden Kite Honor Book Award for Nonfiction and a "highly recommended" award from the Boston Author's Club.
His interest in history and biography developed early. "I was the only kid in the sixth grade who regularly read the New York Times," he said. His books reflect an eclectic view of his world. From his love of old-time radio came Sounds in the Air: The Golden Age of Radio and from his fascination -
Natalia Sylvester
Natalia Sylvester is the Pura Belpré- and Schneider Family-honor winning author of the young adult novel BREATHE AND COUNT BACK FROM TEN, and the award-winning author of the young adult novel RUNNING and the adult novels EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME and CHASING THE SUN. Her first picture book, A MALETA FULL OF TREASURES, illustrated by Juana Medina, is out now from Penguin Random House. Her debut middle grade novel, NO WAY NEVER SISTERS, co-written with Chantel Acevedo, is forthcoming in March 2026 from Simon & Schuster.
Buy books on Amazon
Natalia's non-fiction has appeared in the New York Times, Bustle, Catapult, Electric Literature, Latina magazine, and McSweeney's Publishing. Her essays have been anthologized in collections such as A MAP IS ONLY ONE STO -
Chris Singleton
Chris Singleton is an inspirational speaker and former professional baseball player who travels the country as a student achievement specialist. Chris has spoken to over 75,000 students and teachers across the nation and has helped thousands of students and teachers overcome hardships and excel in the classroom. Chris's speech on overcoming hate with love has been seen or shared millions of times and has gotten him featured on Lifetime, ESPN E:60, USA Today, CNN, and Fox News. Chris is a proud father of his son, CJ, and a proud husband to his high-school sweetheart, Mariana.
Buy books on Amazon -
Sarah Darer Littman
Sarah Darer Littman is an award-winning author of books for teens. She lives in Connecticut, in a house that never seems to have enough bookshelves.
Buy books on Amazon -
Jen Green
Jen Green is a British author of over 300 non-fiction books for children and adults. She earned a doctorate in English literature from Sussex University and became a full-time writer after a career in publishing. She lives near the Sussex Downs.
Buy books on Amazon -
Jordan Scott
Jordan Scott is an internationally acclaimed poet and children’s author.
Buy books on Amazon
Scott is also the author of four books of poetry: Silt, Blert, DECOMP, and Night & Ox. Blert, which explores the poetics of stuttering, is the subject of two National Film Board of Canada projects.
Scott was the 2015/16 Ellen and Warren Tallman Writer-in-Residence at Simon Fraser University and has read from his work throughout North America and Europe. In 2018 Scott was the recipient of the Latner Writers’ Trust Poetry Prize, given to a mid-career poet in recognition of a remarkable body of work, and in anticipation of future contributions to Canadian poetry.
Scott lives on Vancouver Island and teaches at the UBC School of Creative Writing. -
Bill Morgan
Bill Morgan is a painter and archival consultant working in New York City. His previous publications include The Works of Allen Ginsberg 1941-1994: A Descriptive Bibliography and Lawrence Ferlinghetti: a Comprehensive Bibliography. He has worked as an archivist for Allen Ginsberg, Abbie Hoffman, and Timothy Leary.
Buy books on Amazon -
Karen Rostoker-Gruber
My books, Bandit (Marshall Cavendish 2008), Bandit's Surprise (Marshall Cavendish 2010), and Ferret Fun (Marshall Cavendish 2011) all received starred reviews in School Library Journal; Rooster Can't Cock-a-Doodle-Doo (Dial 2004) and Bandit were both International Reading Association Children's Book Council Children's Choices Award recipients; three of my books, Rooster Can't Cock-a-Doodle-Doo (in 2005), Bandit (in 2009), and Ferret Fun (in 2012) were all chosen for the "100 Best Children's Books" in the Bureau of Education and Research's Best of the Year Handbook. Rooster Can't Cock-a-Doodle-Doo and Ferret Fun were nominated for the Missouri Show Me Award; Bandit was nominated for the South Carolina Book Award; and Rooster Can't Cock-a-Doo
Buy books on Amazon -
Andrijka Keller
Andrijka Keller is a writer and award-winning author of her debut memoir Thin, and I. She won her first literary contest in 5th grade at her local library and has been writing ever since. Her conversational and relaxed approach to storytelling has made her writings unique and approachable.
Buy books on Amazon
Currently, Andrijka lives in Philadelphia, PA, and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Counseling. While writing is her first love, she does enjoy drinking black coffee, having lengthy discussions with her cat, yoga, and reading. She plans on eventually writing a novel. -
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King (1927-2006) was the wife of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. She gained an international reputation as an advocate of civil rights, nonviolence, international peace, full employment, and equal rights for women.
Buy books on Amazon
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/coretta-... -
Daniel Beaty
Daniel Koa Beaty is a visionary actor, singer, writer, and social entrepreneur who lives at the intersection of art, spirit, and social change. Raised in Dayton, Ohio, Daniel grew up the child of a heroin addicted, incarcerated father, and younger sibling to a brother addicted to crack cocaine. Daniel learned early on that the arts can help heal childhood trauma, transform pain into power, and inspire a new generation of change makers to dismantle the systemic racism and oppression at the core of the challenges Daniel, his father, brother, and so many Americans face.
Buy books on Amazon
Daniel Koa Beaty has spent his life telling stories that share both the truth of who we are as people and his hope for a better world. He believes these stories have the power t -
JaNay Brown-Wood
JaNay Brown-Wood, PhD is an award-winning children’s author, educator, and scholar. Her first book Imani’s Moon won the NAESP Children’s Book of the Year Award, and her second book Grandma’s Tiny House: A Counting Story received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and won the CELI Read Aloud Book Award. She has several poems published including Falling Leaves in the poetry anthology Thanku: Poems of Gratitude (Lerner/Millbrook, 2019) a Chicago Public Library’s Best Informational Books for 2019, an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, and a Notable Children’s Book for the Global Society. She has more than seven forthcoming books including Shhh! The Baby’s Asleep (Charlesbridge, forthcoming 2021), Where in the Garden a f
Buy books on Amazon -
Aaron Lansky
Aaron Lansky is the founder of the Yiddish Book Center, an organization he created to help salvage Yiddish language publications. He received a MacArthur Fellowship in 1989 for his work.
Buy books on Amazon -
Joanna McClintick
Joanna McClintick is a debut children's book author and a licensed social worker at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in Manhattan. When she was dreaming about building her family, she wrote this poem to honor Pride's history of resistance and imagined sharing it with her future child one day. It has become a tradition to read it at their annual brunch the day before the Pride March with family and friends. Joanna McClintick lives with her wife and child in Brooklyn.
Buy books on Amazon -
Kimberly Kluger-Bell
Kimberly Kluger-Bell is a LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist).
Buy books on Amazon -
Carlos Matias
Carlos Matias is second-generation Dominican born and raised in Queens. He currently resides in the Bronx, and he received a master’s in branding + integrated communications with a copywriting concentration from City College of New York. His writing has been featured in the New York Times, Taste, Bon Appétit, and Edible Bronx. Emergency Quarters is his first picture book.
Buy books on Amazon -
-
Uk-Bae Lee
Uk-Bae Lee was born in Yongin, South Korea, in 1960 and studied art at Hongik University. In 1986 he joined a group of artists whose murals, cartoons, and woodcuts represented the voice of the poor. He also held free painting classes for factory workers. Later, inspired to make a book for his own young daughter, he began his career as a children's book illustrator. In 2010 he published When Spring Comes to the DMZ as a part of the Peace Picture Book Project by illustrators from Korea, China, and Japan. Since then he has often talked to groups of children and parents about how individuals can work for peace. He lives in rural Korea with his wife, who is also a children's book author, and their children.
Buy books on Amazon
Well known in Korea, Uk-Bae Lee is an a -
Thushanthi Ponweera
Thushanthi Ponweera is an author and poet from Sri Lanka. Before daring to follow her dream of being published, she was a marketing specialist and entrepreneur. Her writing reflects the frustration she feels at the inequality and injustice she sees around her and the deep love she has for her island home. Her debut middle-grade novel in verse I Am Kavi was published in 2023 and her debut picture book My Best Friend's Bangles will be out June 2024. Thushanthi also has another picture book Crossing The Finish Line, scheduled for publication in 2025.
Buy books on Amazon
After having lived all her life in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thushanthi recently moved to Doha, Qatar where she lives with her husband and two children. -
Cheryl Clarke
Cheryl L. Clarke is a lesbian poet, essayist, educator and a Black feminist community activist: she lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, and Hobart, New York. With her life partner, Barbara Balliet, she is co-owner of Bleinheim Hill Books, a used and rare bookstore in Hobart.
Buy books on Amazon -
Linsey Davis
Linsey Davis is an Emmy Award winning ABC News Correspondent, filing reports for World News, Good Morning America, 20/20 and Nightline. She has covered major news stories around the globe, and is also a bestselling author of her first children’s book, THE WORLD IS AWAKE. She is now excited to share her latest book, ONE BIG HEART, with the world.
Buy books on Amazon
ONE BIG HEART is about celebrating how we are more alike than different. We can embrace our differences and still find our common ground. God gave us all one big heart, and that’s the most important part because it’s where love starts.
For Davis, her son serves as her inspiration for the books she writes. "Almost daily he takes my hand and he leads me into the world around him with fresh eyes, and it -
Rachel Richards
Author of the Amazon bestseller Hungry for Life: A Memoir Unlocking the Truth Inside an Anorexic Mind, Rachel Richards has always been fascinated by psychological disorders and integrative health. When she’s not writing, Rachel is a licensed massage therapist with a private practice, and hosts a hugely popular YouTube channel dedicated to teaching self-massage and wellness. Rachel lives in Manhattan with her husband and young daughter—whose vivid fantasy world inspired Glass Half Broken.
Buy books on Amazon -
Sharon Mentyka
I’m a children's writer, teacher and designer and my love is writing for middle-grade children. My books include:
Buy books on Amazon
• CHASING AT THE SURFACE, middle grade novel that won the 2016 National Outdoor Book Award in the Children's category
• THINK SMART, BE FEARLESS: A BIOGRAPHY OF BILL GATES
• THE HEART OF THE STORM: A BIOGRAPHY OF SUE BIRD
• B IN THE WORLD, chapter book selected by Seattle Schools for inclusion in their K-5 Gender Kit.
My stories grow from small kernels of truth that explore common themes: fairness (or unfairness), transitions and helping the less powerful find their voice.
I invite you to visit my website at SharonMentyka.com for more information and follow my blog where I offer book reviews, interviews with other authors, and gener -
Mariyka Foster
Mariyka Foster (previously Mariyka Auber) is an author-illustrator of picture books and in-house artist for Carter's. She specializes in characters bursting with personality and whimsical hand lettering, as well as story-oriented repeat patterns. She strives to fill her worlds with humor, heart, and warm representation of families of all shapes and colors.
Buy books on Amazon
Aside from art, Mariyka loves taking care of her ever-growing indoor jungle, hiking & rock climbing, and honing her latte-making skills. She lives in Atlanta with her partner, her fluffy bobtail cat, two ball pythons, and several hundred terrestrial isopods. -
Jonathan Merritt
Jonathan is a faith and culture writer who has published over 300 articles in respected outlets such as USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, BeliefNet, Christianity Today, The Huffington Post, and CNN.com. He is author of Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for Our Planet (2010), which Publisher's Weekly called "a must-read for churchgoers," and the forthcoming A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars (April 2012). As a respected Christian voice, he has been interviewed by ABC World News, NPR, CNN, PBS, Fox News, The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Buy books on Amazon
Jonathan first entered the public eye when a classroom epiphany prompted him to organize a national coalition of Christian -
Ellen Weinstein
Ellen Weinstein is a New York-based illustrator who has won multiple awards for her work, which appears in magazines, newspapers, books, and advertising including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic.
Buy books on Amazon