Free for You and Me

Christy Mihaly writes for young readers because she believes that our best hope for the future is raising kids who love to read. She has published more than 20 children’s nonfiction titles on topics from free speech to food to fashion. After stints residing in six other states, and Spain, she settled happily with her family in rural Vermont where she writes under the careful supervision of her dog and cat. She enjoys walking in the woods and playing the cello (though not simultaneously). Christy’s picture book “Free for You and Me: What Our First Amendment Means,” is a lively introduction to the freedoms protected in the First Amendment. “Hey, Hey, Hay! (A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them),” a 2019 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, follows a farm girl and her mother as they bring in the hay. Both picture books offer additional information in the back–including a recipe for switchel in HAY.

Manu was born in Medellín, Colombia in 1990. She Studied Graphic Design and Advertising at the University of Medellín in her home town and Art Direction in ELISAVA in Barcelona where she actually lives. She grew up both in the city and the country, and spent most of her childhood drawing, playing with plants, animals and exploring the woods. Manu has worked for advertising agencies such as DDB and McCANN Worldgroup and as a children illustrator for SM editorial, Cruïlla, Penguin Random House and others. She loves working with gouache, colored pencils, ink and digital media; Her favourite technique is collage.