Category Archives: Childrens Authors

Laura Schaefer is the author of The Teashop Girls (Simon & Schuster,  2008), a novel for young readers set in Madison, Wisconsin. She got her start as a contributor to the University of Wisconsin’s student paper The Daily Cardinal as its book reviewer and literature page editor. Laura went on to write regularly for The Princeton Review, Match.com  and several curriculum publishers.

Laura’s first book is entitled Man with Farm Seeks Woman with Tractor (Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2005). It is a compendium of personal and matrimonial ads from the 1700s to the present.

Laura has appeared on Good Morning America and Channel 3000 and enjoys visiting local schools to talk about writing and tea. She lives in Madison and can usually be found dancing the lindy hop. Laura is currently at work on a sequel to The Teashop Girls called The Secret Ingredient.

Kai has been a performing artist for over 15 years, she holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theater Directing and Design from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she also studied Kinesiology and Movement.   She has been a featured storyteller at the Taste of Chicago, African Festival of the Arts, Round Lake Parks Cultural Festival, Los Angeles Children’s Museum, Chicago Cultural Center and the Oak Park Children’s Museum. 

Her Lyrical Storytelling performance combines classic tales, and original stories with full vocal characterizations, costume props, music and puppets. 

Her high energy level and versatile singing ability invite audience participation to engage in a variety of music genre  that range from classical to hip-hop.

JoAnn Early Macken’s newest picture books are Waiting Out the Storm (Candlewick Press, 2010) and Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move (Holiday House, 2008). Baby Says, “Moo!” will be published by Disney-Hyperion Books in spring 2011.  JoAnn has also written an assortment of poems, several articles for writers, and more than one hundred nonfiction books for young readers. She earned her M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. JoAnn teaches part time at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, blogs on the Teaching Authors group blog, and speaks about poetry and writing to children and adults at schools, libraries, and conferences.

Peggy Tromblay’s children’s writing includes everything from picture books to novels. Her award-winning work has appeared in various children’s magazines, Writer’s Digest, and The Institute of Children’s Literature’s anthology on revision.  Children’s Writer newsletter describes her work as a “great example of humor.”  When Peggy’s not writing for kids, she’s acting like one.  And, on occasion, Peggy can be found behind a podium giving talks to adults and young adults on the craft of writing.

Dori Chaconas was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The second child in a family of seven, she fell into the role of storyteller, nursery rhyme singer, and general entertainer for her siblings.  She claims she learned about story pacing early.  If the story action lagged, her fidgety audience would either scatter or start a poking war.

She has been married to Nick, her high school sweetheart, for 52 years. They raised four daughters, and are now enjoying three grandsons.

When her daughters were young, Dori wrote for them.  She published three picture books and more than fifty stories in children’s magazines in the 1960s.  In the 70′s, her interest turned to yarn embroidery design and she sold designs to major needlework companies and national magazines.

In 1997, Dori started writing stories again, partly to keep her grandsons from fidgeting or starting poking wars.  Her stories reflect the warmth of family life.  Dori gives credit to her parents for giving her a strong sense of family, and to her children and grandchildren for keeping it alive.

She is the author of nineteen books for children, including picture books Mousie Love and Coriander the Contrary Hen and the six Cork and Fuzz easy-readers and is under contract for four more books to be published in the future.

Sharon Coyle is a storytime presenter/storyteller who loves seeing the excited faces of children when they are listening to a tale.   She has been doing storytime programs since 2003 at coffee houses, libraries, day care centers, Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us  and currently at the Children’s Play Gallery in Delafield. She also has recently launched a school program with themes of “Respect the Earth/Respect Others” and “Writing a Story: Finding the Clues.” Sharon lives in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, is married to Mike and has three children ages 6-19. She also loves humor writing and her heroine is the late great Erma Bombeck.

Lisa Wheeler has written 17 books for children including Dino-Hockey, Sailor Moo: Cow at Sea, When Pigs Fly and Mammoths on the Move. Awards include the Michigan Library Association’s 2004 Mitten Award for Old Cricket, the 2005 Missouri Building Block Award and the 2006-2007 South Carolina Picture Book Award for Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum, and the 2006 Blue Bonnet Award for Seadogs: an Epic Ocean Operetta. Her newest picture book is Ugly Pie, illustrated by Heather Solomon, which is being released in July.  She keeps an active schedule of school visits and speaking engagements. In addition, she offers critique services and writing workshops to other children’s writers.

Lisa Rondinelli Albert grew up in Milwaukee where she spent countless hours at Finney Library. Lisa’s most recent nonfiction book, Stephenie Meyer: Author of the Twilight Saga (Enslow 2009), is the very first biography of Stephenie Meyer. Her other books with Enslow include, Lois Lowry: The Giver of Stories and Memories (2007) and So You Want to be a Film or TV Actor? (2008).

 In addition to writing nonfiction, Lisa writes picture books and novels for tweens and teens. Her debut Young Adult novel, Mercy Lily, will be released in Fall 2011 by Flux. Lisa’s also been a contributing writer for the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market (Writer’s Digest Books), where her feature articles and author interviews have appeared. She’s been a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators since 1996 and enjoys giving presentations on the craft of writing.

Lisa also works as a Library Aide in the Muskego-Norway School District and finds great satisfaction assisting K-8 readers. She currently lives in Muskego, Wisconsin with her husband and their two UW-Waukesha students.

Ann Angel has written many young adult biographies including the forthcoming Janis Joplin, Rise Up Singing (Abrams 2010). She served as contributing editor for the highly acclaimed Such a Pretty Face, Short Stories About Beauty and is currently working with her daughter, Amanda Angel, to edit a series of essays for Silent Embrace, Perspectives on Birth in Adoption, an anthology addressed to birth parents. She lives in Brookfield, Wisconsin with her family and teaches writing at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee.

For many years Carol has illustrated for a wide variety of magazines, newspapers, advertising, and text and trade books for children. Her work has appeared in over 45 picture books.

 In 1991, her illustrations first appeared in the children’s book, Sea Squares by Joy Hulme which was selected as an Outstanding Science Trade Book by the National Science Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Council. It was also a Children’s Choice for 1992 and selected for the Original Art exhibition at the Society of Illustrators for 1992. It was followed by The Maiden of Northland by Aaron Shepard, which was an Aesop Accolade List book in 1996, Thinking about Ants by Barbara Brenner, also an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children in 1998, and a six book “Hide and Seek Science” series for Scholastic.  Her work has been selected for exhibition many times by The Illustrator’s Club of Washington DC and honored by The EdPress Association of America.  Carol’s work is included in the Society of Illustrators permanent collection of Outstanding Female Illustrators of the Past One Hundred Years.

Carol enjoys speaking to students about her work and has visited hundreds of elementary schools.  She also has made presentations at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Frostburg State University, Shenandoah University,  the Kansas City Art Institute, the Corcoran School of Art and the Cincinnati Art Museum.  Even as a child growing up in Kansas City, Missouri, she wanted to be an artist. Her mother enrolled her in art classes at a young age. Carol attended the Kansas City Art Institute and the Rhode Island School of Design.

For 24 years she and her husband lived and worked in the Washington, DC area, raising two children there. They have lived in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio. Carol moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2008, where she continues to combine her love of nature and animals in her book illustrations for children.

Bob Anderson is a retired Wisconsin Librarian who after 39 years is free to pursue his favorite hobby, the teaching of Cartooning, whenever the spirit moves him.   A regular teacher at the Kenosha Public Museum in the adult and kids class and workshop offerings, he has also taught Cartooning at the Wustum Museum of Fine Arts in Racine.  He has done presentations at schools in Kenosha Unified and at libraries in both Racine and Kenosha.  Samples of his work can be seen in the Kenosha Dinosaur Discovery Museum in Kenosha, the Lancer logo for St. Joseph High School (my alma mater, I’m very pleased to say!), and a rather rare “comic book” done for the Kenosha County Girl Scout Council.   He is responsible for countless cartoons, doodles, caricatures, and logos done for organizations, friends and even, occasionally, a paying customer.

Suzanne Buckingham Slade is the author of over 70 books for children. Her works include picture books and biographies, as well as titles about nature, science, and sports. Her recent picture books include Animals are Sleeping (2008), What’s New at the Zoo? (2009) and What’s the Difference? (2010).  This fall, Albert Whitman & Company will release her newest title, Climbing Lincoln’s Steps (Illustrated by Coretta Scott King Honor artist, Colin Bootman).  Ms. Slade holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and worked in the engineering field before beginning her writing career. Living near Chicago with her husband and children, Ms. Slade shares her passion for reading and writing with children all across the country with her popular school visits and virtual author visits via Skype.

Co-authors Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook have been writing collaboratively since 1997.  Both work in the School District of Waukesha, Kathryn as a school psychologist and Deborah as a Kindergarten teacher.   Their experiences with young children often provide the source for their story ideas, and many of their books contain educational aspects.  Kathryn and Deborah enjoy presentations, author visits, and book talks with children.

Co-authors Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook have been writing collaboratively since 1997.  Both work in the School District of Waukesha, Kathryn as a school psychologist and Deborah as a Kindergarten teacher.   Their experiences with young children often provide the source for their story ideas, and many of their books contain educational aspects.  Kathryn and Deborah enjoy presentations, author visits, and book talks with children.

Gibbs Davis is an award-winning author of 24 books for children, as well as co-writer of the film Undercover Kids.   In 2008 and 2009 Gibbs co-hosted the Reading Discovery Program with former First Lady Barbara Bush at the George Bush Presidential Library. During these successful televised events Mrs. Bush read Wackiest White House Pet, (Parents’ Choice Gold Award) to over 11,000 Texas school children.

Gibbs is often interviewed by the national media as an expert on presidential pets and growing up in the White House. Her most recent title is First Kids featuring Malia and Sasha Obama.

A frequent visitor to schools and libraries across the country, Gibbs welcomes letters from her readers.

SHERI SINYKIN collected 156 rejection letters before her first novel, SHRIMPBOAT AND GYM BAGS, was published in 1990.  “In the long run,” she tells readers, “perseverance is much more important than raw talent.”

Sinykin grew up in Sacramento, Calif., the eldest of four children.  She graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Communications-Journalism in 1972.  Ever since she was in third grade, she wanted to write children’s books, and finally, after many writing-related jobs, she settled down to follow her passion, while raising three sons. She was lead author of the popular Magic Attic Club series, and published seventeen books for young readers in the 1990s, as well as numerous children’s magazine stories.  She received the Arthur Tofte Juvenile Fiction award from the Council of Wisconsin Writers for her novel, SIRENS, and an EdPress Award for “Mostly I Share but Sometimes I Don’t,” her HUMPTY DUMPTY story about unwanted touching for a preschool audience.  

After a long period of writer’s block, precipitated by her mother’s devastating cancer diagnosis in 1997, Sinykin earned her MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College in 2003, studying with mentors Louise Hawes, Ron Koertge, Carolyn Coman, and Marion Dane Bauer.  GIVING UP THE GHOST, her middle school novel set on a haunted plantation near New Orleans two years after Hurricane Katrina, deals with fear of death–her mother’s in particular.  Her most recent novel was also informed by her work as a hospice volunteer and by research she did for her critical thesis: “GOOD GRIEF: Making Death and Bereavement Authentic for Middle Grade Readers.”  Her first picture book, ZAYDE COMES TO LIVE (illustrated by Kristina Swarner, from Peachtree), explores the Jewish perspective of death for young listeners. It is slated for release in spring, 2011.

Sinykin served for six years as the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Wisconsin Regional Advisor and founded the popular SCBWI-Wisconsin fall retreat that continues to this day.  In 1995, SCBWI awarded her its Member of the Year Award for service to the organization. 

She divides her time between Arizona in the winter—home of two sons and three grandsons–and soon in the summer, Massachusetts—home of her youngest son—rather than Wisconsin, her home of 38 years.

Sharon Hart Addy, the author of the picture books LUCKY JAKE and WHEN WISHES WERE HORSES, also dabbles in poetry and magazine fiction. Three versions of her story Lillian and Gran-pere, historical fiction originally published in Cricket magazine, are included in Sandy Asher’s WRITING IT RIGHT! How Successful Children’s Authors Revise and Sell Their Stories. Sharon’s poem Can You Find My Cat? appeared in the September issue of Highlight’s High Five magazine. Notes, various drafts, and galleys of LUCKY JAKE were displayed at the Center for Children’s Literature at Carthage College in conjunction with the Center’s ALA Reception in June. In October, Sharon will address the Wisconsin Chapter of the Catholic Librarians Association as part of their annual convention. Early last spring, after 14 years of teaching, she retired from The Institute of Children’s Literature. Currently, she is working on a middle grade novel and playing with several picture book ideas.

Amy Laundrie has been an elementary teacher in Wisconsin Dells for many years.  She loves nature and animals and hatches out ducklings every spring.  Last year the duckling “Happy Feet” even accompanied her on school visits.   “Meet the author” presentations and conducting writing workshops are Amy’s specialties.

Kashmira Sheth was born and raised in India and came to the United States to attend college.  After receiving her BS from the Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa and MS in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she worked for the Wisconsin Agriculture Department for 15 years.

About twelve years ago she started writing children’s books. She has published four novels (Hyperion, Harpercollins) and two picture books (Peachtree). Her first novel, Blue Jasmine, won the Paul Zindel First Novel Award. Her young adult novel, Keeping Corner is listed as a Best Book for the Young Adult (BBYA, 2009) and was also named as one of the top ten historical fictions of 2008 by Booklist. Her latest novel, Boys Without Names, was published (HarperCollins) in January 2010.  It is a story about a boy in contemporary India who is kidnapped and forced to work in a sweatshop.

Her picture books, My Dadima Wears a Sari and Monsoon Afternoon have been selected as Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People. She currently have two more picture books under contract.

Kashmira Sheth has done several school visits in Wisconsin and in other states for preschool, K-12, and university students. She enjoys working with teachers and other organizers and make her presentation fit their needs.

Bonnie Leick (pronunciation:  like) grew up on a dairy farm in Central Wisconsin where as a child, she spent her summers picking rocks in the fields and baling hay.  Year-round she was a “Calf Care Specialist”; i.e., she fed calves.

 Bonnie’s artwork has sometimes been defined as quirky and humorous.  Although she paints with watercolors, many think that her artwork is done digitally.  That does not mean that she hasn’t used the computer.  For the book Alien Invaders (Raven Tree Press, 2005), she first drew the line-work on animation paper and then painted in Photoshop.     In addition to Raven Tree Press, Bonnie has worked for publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Marshall Cavendish and Tanglewood Books.  She has also illustrated for Highlights and Highlights High Five.

Prior to her work in children’s books, Bonnie received a BFA in Film/Video-Character Animation from the California Institute of Art and Design.  She was an animator and background artist for companies such as Creative Capers, Disney, and Warner Bros.  She also wrote short stories for Howie Mandel’s Lil’ Howie series of educational cd-rom games.

 Bonnie currently resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her husband Douglas O’Leary.  She has two stepsons, Ryan and Connor and a French Bulldog named Zoe.

Kathi is a graduate of the Vermont College MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. In addition to writing, she works part-time as an occupational therapist. In the past, she has worked with teens in crisis and has publications in a variety of occupational therapy journals and books. Currently, she lives with her husband, son and their cat in Oak Park, Illinois. SHATTERED is her debut novel.

Janet Piehl is a children’s librarian and author. A former editor of children’s books, she has written more than ten nonfiction books on topics ranging from Harry Houdini to chipmunks. She currently works at the Wilmette Public Library outside of Chicago.

CANDACE DECKER has worked as a professional actress, singer, storyteller and taught acting workshops for children for the past 22 years. As a storyteller she has served as an artist-in-residence in the Chicago-area school system, performed for children throughout Maryland with BOOKPALS,  and as a volunteer reader in the public school system.  Candace also received an Indiana Arts Grant to perform her one woman cabaret, CANDYLAND–A Kid’s Cabaret,  combining storytelling and song. She has taught storytelling workshops and performed as a storyteller throughout the years in Indiana, Maryland and Wisconsin libraries.

“I always felt I was born into the wrong century,” Patty Pfitsch says. Inspired by her favorite childhood books, Caddie Woodlawn and Little House in the Big Woods, she persuaded her husband to move to a 100 year-old farmhouse in the forgotten hills of southwestern Wisconsin, an hour away from the nearest clothing store or movie theater and surrounded by wildlife and farm life. “Out here I can sometimes pretend I’m living in the olden days,” she says. “Our house is heated with wood, and in the winter I cook on a wood-burning stove that’s even older than the house.” 

Since she can’t change the year of her birth, she writes historical fiction instead. She is the author of three juvenile novels from Simon & Schuster: Keeper of the Light, The Deeper Song, and Riding the Flume, as well as five picture books. She has received awards from Friends of American Writers, Council for Wisconsin Writers, Writer’s Digest and Highlights. Riding The Flume was nominated for an Edgar in 2002. She uses historical fiction to address issues that continue to be important in contemporary times. “I’m concerned about the violence done to women and children in our society, not only physical violence, but discrimination and emotional violence. I’m passionate about conserving our natural resources. Those themes usually find their way into my writing in one way or another.”

Picture book author Jim Aylesworth tells his stories with generous doses of loud sounds, rhythms and rhymes.  His experiences as a teacher have taught him that these are the elements children like in a story, especially when it is being read aloud.  So, in Hanna’s Hog, Aylesworth includes a loud hog call,  in The Complete Hickory Dickory Dock, he offer numerous nonsensical rhymes and in Country Crossing, the sounds of the still countryside and a train passing fill the night.

Born in Jacksonville, Forida, Aylesworth lived in many places as a child before his family settled in Hinsdale, Illlinois.  He graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a B.A. in English and returned to Hinsdale to begin a career as a stockbroker.  By 1970, however, Aylesworth was thinking about what he really wanted to do.  A series of assignments as a substitute teacher led him to a career in teaching.  He earned a graduate degree in elementary education from Concordia College in River Forest, Illinois in 1978.   In twenty-five years of teaching Aylesworth earned several awards and honors.  In 1975, the Illinois State Board of Education named him among “Those Who Excel,” and in 1984 he was named a “Governor’s Master Teacher.”  But it was his work with children which brought him the most reward and led him to pursue his dream of being a children’s book writer.  In 1996, Aylesworth decided to write and visit schools full time.  After raising a family in Hinsdale, Jim Aylesworth now resides in Chicago with his wife.  He travels extensively to speak to children in schools and at book events across the United States.

Julie Bowe grew up just outside of Luck, WI, within a Danish-American community called West Denmark. As a young Dane she learned that blue plates are hung on walls, not set on tables, Christmas trees are danced around, and the secret to a great pot of coffee is a raw egg in the grounds. One of her earliest memories is being fed egg coffee from a teaspoon by her mother. She likes coffee and her mother to this day.  After graduating college with a degree in anthropology, Julie took a job as a youth director hoping there would be similarities between prehistoric people and postmodern junior and senior high youth. As a youth director, Julie learned how to strum a guitar, drive a bus, and play a wicked game of foosball. She also discovered that junior and senior high youth are deeply compassionate, funny, multi-talented, and not nearly as dusty as prehistoric people.

 Julie continued entertaining other peoples’ kids until she decided to raise a couple of her own. She also wrote and edited curricula for fifteen years. More recently, she began writing books for young readers including the popular Friends for Keeps series—My Last Best Friend, My New Best Friend, My Best Frenemy and the forthcoming My Forever Friends (Dial, 2011).  Julie still enjoys working with youth in her community near Eau Claire, WI, playing guitar, and winning at foosball. She has, to the great relief of pre- and post-historic people everywhere, given up bus driving.

Janet Halfmann is an award-winning children’s author who strives to make her books come alive for young readers and listeners. She has written more than thirty books, both fiction and nonfiction.   Her Civil War era nonfiction picture book, Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story (Lee & Low Books, 2008), was named an Honor Book by the Society of School Librarians International and included in the Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year. Her fiction picture book, Little Skink’s Tail (Sylvan Dell Publishing, 2007), received top honors in the Mom’s Choice Awards, being chosen one of three Best Children’s Books for 2009. The book also won the Teacher’s Choice Award from Learning Magazine and Best Overall Book and Best Picture Book honors from the Florida Publishers Association.