Meet The Authors
Shannon Anderson is an award-winning children's book author, educator, TEDx speaker, frequent keynote presenter, and certified brain coach. She taught for 25 years, from first grade through college level and was named one of the ten teachers who "awed and inspired" on the Today Show in 2019. Shannon loves doing author visits, providing PD for teachers, mentoring aspiring writers, and speaking at events. Her book I Love Strawberries was named the top-rated 2022 picture book by Good Housekeeping magazine and also the national book of the year by the Farm Bureau Foundation.
Christine Evans is the author of picture books including Dear Mr. G and Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist, and chapter book series including The Wish Library and the upcoming Magic Makers Club. Her books have been translated into Korean, Chinese and Turkish (so far!) Christine is an experienced and popular speaker who has met thousands of children in-person and online all over the US and the world. She’s also spoken on panels and presented at children’s book conferences and events. You can find more at pinwheelsandstories.com
Vicky Fang is the author of the Layla and the Bots chapter book series, the Best Buddies early reader series, the I Can Code board book series, and the picture book Invent-a-Pet. She is the author-illustrator of the Ava Lin series, the Friendbots series, AlphaBot, and the forthcoming One Mad Cat series. A former Google product designer, she now writes and illustrates children’s books full-time. Vicky Fang lives in California. You can learn more at vickyfang.com.
Jannie Ho (pronounced Jane-nee) is the author/illustrator of The Lost Mitten, Happy Chinese New Year, and Bear and Chicken. She is also the illustrator of the Fry Guys early reader graphic novel series. With a passion for visual storytelling and sequential art, she runs comic workshops for kids of all ages in libraries, conferences, and schools. Jannie lives near Boston, MA with her family. Visit www.JannieHo.com for more of her work.
Shelli R. Johannes is the author of 25+ books for children and teens. She is the coauthor of the Cece Loves Science series, Penny (An Engineering Tale of the Fourth Pig), and the Farm Friends series (6 books). She is the author of the Theo Thesaurus series, Shine Like a Unicorn, and Florence Nightingale (in Chelsea Clinton's "She Persisted" series.) And for teens, Shelli is the author of five novels, including the Nature of Grace series (Untraceable, Uncontrollable, Unstoppable), ReWired, & On the Bright Side (MG).
Bethanie Murguia earned an MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family and three forty-pound lap dogs. She is the creator of numerous picture books and is currently working on a middle grade graphic novel series. Her books have received many accolades, including starred reviews, Junior Library Guild Gold Standard, IndieNext List, Amazon Best Books of the Year, BCCB Best Books of the Year, and Bank Street College Best Books of the Year. In addition to writing and illustrating, Bethanie spends her time hiking, biking, and reading while snuggled up with her dogs. Please visit aquapup.com to learn more.
Shanda (rhymes with panda) McCloskey knew she wanted to be an artist since 3rd grade when she won an honorable mention in an art contest at school. Shanda wasn’t a big reader, but she enjoyed picture books because they told stories partly with words and partly with pictures. After studying art in Atlanta and New York City and teaching art to high schoolers, Shanda pursued a career in children’s books. Now she’s a full-time illustrator (and author too)! Shanda lives in Ball Ground, Georgia with her husband, daughters, and dog. Her award-winning STEM-friendly picture books (Doll-E 1.0 and T-Bone The Drone) have taken her to wonderful people and places! She invites you to visit her at ShandaMc.com.
Kristin O’Donnell Tubb’s middle grade novels have won five state book awards. She is the author of eleven books, including Fowl Play, The Decomposition of Jack, Luna Howls at the Moon, Zeus, Dog of Chaos, The Story Collector series, and A Dog Like Daisy. Kristin lives near Nashville, Tennessee with her bouncy-loud family. Just like her two dogs, she can be bribed with cheese. Kristin can be found far too often on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Oh, and she has a website, too: www.kristintubb.com.