Kitten Ninja

Colleen AF Venable thinks the best stories always have a whole lot of silliness and cute animals. She is the author of Mervin the Sloth Is About to Do the Best Thing in the World. She writes her own stories with the company of her two pet bunnies and five pet fish in Brooklyn, New York.

Marcie Colleen is a former classroom teacher turned children’s book author. She is the author of THE SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS chapter book series with Macmillan/Imprint, as well her debut picture book, Love, Triangle, illustrated by Bob Shea (Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins), and Penguinaut!, illustrated by Emma Yarlett. Marcie is an expert on creating highly acclaimed Teacher’s Guides that align picture books and middle grade novels with the Common Core and state mandated standards. She is the Education Consultant for Picture Book Month and the Curriculum Developer for Time Traveler Tours & Tales. She is a frequent presenter at conferences for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, as well as a faculty member for Kidlit Writing School, San Diego Writer’s Ink, and the University of California San Diego Extension. Her educational work in children’s literature has been recognized by School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, and the Children’s Book Council. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Education of English and Language Arts from Oswego State University and a master’s degree in Educational Theater from New York University. Although she will always be a Brooklynite at heart, Marcie lives in San Diego, California with her husband—artist Jonathan Lopes—and their mischievous sock monkey.

Ellen Stubbings is a children’s book illustrator (Father Goose), comic artist, and cute thing maker. She graduated with a first class honors degree in Illustration from the University of Lincoln and currently resides in the UK. Ellen creates her art digitally in her tiny office, often accompanied by her husband, Wesley, and tuxedo cat, Figaro.