Candlewick Sparks Books

Laura McGee Kvasnosky (www.lmkbooks.com) grew up in Northern California. She is the author of the Zelda and Ivy books, one of which won dual Golden Kite Honors Awards in 1999 from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and the American Library Association’s 2007 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award as America’s most distinguished book for beginning readers published that year. Along with Kate Harvey McGee, she is also the author of Little Wolf’s First Howling, which won the Margaret Wise Brown Honor Book Award for children’s literature text. Laura lives in Seattle.

Kate Messner is the award-winning author of Over and Under the Snow, Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, Over and Under the Pond, Tree of Wonder, and How to Read a Story, as well as more than a dozen other books for young readers. Kate lives on Lake Champlain in New York

Jamie Michalak is the author of Joe and Sparky, Party Animals!; Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels; Joe and Sparky Go to School; and Joe and Sparky, Superstars!, which Kirkus Reviews called a “little treasure” in a starred review. All are illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz. Jamie Michalak lives in Rhode Island.

James Howe is the author of more than ninety books for young readers, including the modern classic Bunnicula and its highly popular sequels. In 2001, Howe published The Misfits, which was the inspiration for the national movement known as No Name-Calling Week (NoNameCallingWeek.org), an event observed by thousands of middle and elementary schools annually. There are three companion novels to The Misfits: Totally Joe (2005), Addie on the Inside (2011), and Also Known as Elvis (2014). Howe’s many other books for children from preschool through teens frequently deal with the acceptance of difference and being true to oneself. Visit him online at JamesHowe.com.

Heather Ross is an illustrator and fabric designer. She lives in New York City and the Catskill Mountains with her husband, daughter, and dog.

Bob Kolar lives in Kansas City. He makes fun things for kids to read and play with. Most days he’s in his studio drawing and writing and goofing around with his studio pal Wallace, a spunky golden retriever.

Marie-Louise Gay is the illustrator of many award-winning children’s books, including the Houndsley and Catina series by James Howe and Tiger and Badger by Emily Jenkins. She lives in Montreal, Canada.