Matthew S. Armstrong
Matthew S. Armstrong draws and paints and writes. He illustrated the New York Times bestselling The Chronicles of Narnia Pop-up with pop-ups by Robert Sabuda and The Return to Narnia picture book, which was based on Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis, Rhino, Rhino, Sweet Potato by Francine Prose as well as wrote and illustrated Jane and Mizmow. Matthew lives with his lovely wife and spunky kids in Sugar House Utah in a very old house surrounded by humongous old trees.
www.matthewart.com
Ken Baker
Matthew S. Armstrong draws and paints and writes. He illustrated the New York Times bestselling The Chronicles of Narnia Pop-up with pop-ups by Robert Sabuda and The Return to Narnia picture book, which was based on Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis, Rhino, Rhino, Sweet Potato by Francine Prose as well as wrote and illustrated Jane and Mizmow. Matthew lives with his lovely wife and spunky kids in Sugar House Utah in a very old house surrounded by humongous old trees.
www.matthewart.com
Ken Baker
Ken's love for children's books began as a young child when his parents and older siblings would tell him favorite bedtime stories of Peter Cottontail, Dr. Seuss, Curious George, and The Three Bears. His love for children's stories grew as Ken read and made up bedtime stories for his own children. He is the author of the picture books OLD MACDONALD HAD A DRAGON (Coming Fall 2012), COW CAN'T SLEEP (Coming Fall 2012) and BRAVE LITTLE MONSTER (Sept. 2001).He also writes early readers, chapter books, and YA novels. When he’s not writing or reading, Ken loves to spend time with his family boating, wakeboarding, snowboarding, swimming, camping, and watching his children play sports.
Anne Bowen
Anne Bowen wrote her first story in elementary school. It was about a very tiny family living inside a very large house and was very similar to THE BORROWERS by Mary Norton. Some might call this plagiarism, but really it was more about Anne discovering a mentor-author for the kind of stories she loved to read and using those stories to guide her own writing. And even though she didn’t know it at the time, Anne was learning to read as a writer and learning how to write from other writers. Today, as an elementary teacher of language arts, she encourages her students to discover those stories that touch them in some unique way. Anne encourages them to find authors whose writing takes their breath away and then ask the questions, “What did this author do in his/her writing that I like so much? and “What can I learn from this author about the craft of writing?”
Anne Bowen has a Bachelor’s Degree in Deaf Education and a Master’s Degree in Education. She has attended four summer writing institutes at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. She was the recipient of the 1996-97 Utah English/Language Arts Teacher of the Year Award. Anne has two grown sons, two old golden retrievers, and lives in Ogden with her husband, Art.
Caralyn Buehner
Caralyn Buehner grew up in Salt Lake City, the youngest child in a family of bookworms. She remembers being read to as a child by her mother, and has very fond memories of some children named Sally, Dick and Jane, and seems to remember a dog named Spot. By the time she was in 6th grade, she had perfected the art of undetected nocturnal reading, and had written a chapter of a romance novel. She won state and national awards for her writing in her teenage years, but didn’t plan to be an author.
When her husband, Mark Buehner, began illustrating children’s books, he encouraged Caralyn to write. In the past decade they have collaborated of six children’s picture books, and eight children. Their most recent book is SNOWMEN AT CHRISTMAS.
Mark Buehner
Mark Buehner is the illustrator of many children’s picture books, including HARVEY POTTER'S BALLOON FARM, MY MONSTER MAMA LOVES ME SO, and THE ADVENTURES OF TAXI DOG. His books have garnered state and national awards and have been featured on Reading Rainbow and Storytime on PBS. He has also collaborated on several books with his wife Caralyn, who is the author of FANNY'S DREAM, I DID IT, I'M SORRY, THE ESCAPE OF MARVIN THE APE, SNOWMEN AT NIGHT, and most recently, SNOWMEN AT CHRISTMAS. Mark and Caralyn Buehner live in Salt Lake City, and are the parents of eight children.
www.buehnerbooks.com
Erin Cabatingan
For as long as she has been able to put letters together to make words, Erin has been writing books. Erin currently lives in Virginia, but was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and raised in southern Utah in a small town called Cedar City.
erincabatingan.com
Ann Edwards ("A. E.") Cannon
www.aecannon.com
Erin Cabatingan
For as long as she has been able to put letters together to make words, Erin has been writing books. Erin currently lives in Virginia, but was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and raised in southern Utah in a small town called Cedar City.
erincabatingan.com
Ann Edwards ("A. E.") Cannon
www.aecannon.com
Kristyn Crow
Kristyn Crow is the author of three children's picture books: COOL DADDY RAT (Putnam), BEDTIME AT THE SWAMP (HarperCollins) and THE MIDDLE CHILD BLUES (Putnam, coming soon). COOL DADDY RAT, her first book, recently received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal. Her stories use rhythm, rhyme, and repetition to make reading cool, snappy, and fun. Kristyn's language arts lesson plan, "Feel the Swamp Beat!" guides children in finding the rhythm in text, which, besides being fun, can help children with reading delays. Kristyn is the mother of seven children, some with special needs, and she has written hundreds of blog articles on topics like autism, juvenile diabetes, and special education. Many of her articles have been reprinted by national foundations.
www.kristyncrow.comGuy Francis
Guy Francis lives in Provo, Utah with his wife Lorien, and four children. He studied illustration at Brigham Young University. For the past ten years he has done a variety of work, including editorial illustration, children’s books, and animation. His most recent book is Mary Had a Little Ham by Margie Palatini. He spends most of his time drawing, painting, and drawing some more. Every now and then he gets out of the house and heads to the mountains with family.
www.guyfrancis.comSharlee Glenn
Sharlee Glenn grew up on a farm in northeastern Utah with six brothers and sisters, a throng of cousins, and a whole menagerie of animals. After high school, she moved to the big city of Provo, Utah to attend Brigham Young University where she earned a B.A. and then an M.A. in Humanities with a dual emphasis in English and Art History. She taught at BYU for several years before giving up academia for the writing life. She has published essays, short stories, and poetry for adults, but her true love is writing for children. Sharlee lives in Pleasant Grove, Utah with her lovely husband, James, and their five brilliant children.
www.sharleeglenn.comChristine Graham
I loved to read from the moment I learned to read Dick and Jane and Dr. Seuss books, but I hated to write until I was about 13 years old. Then I started a novel, which I never finished. I never really stopped writing, though. Words and ideas are too fun, and one of the best ways to get better at writing is to keep doing it.
christinegrahambooks.com
Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale is an award winning children's book illustrator and author with a background in scientific and natural history illustration. Nathan has worked in natural history museum display, painting scientific murals for museums around the U.S. He studied illustration at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. He divides his time between picture books, natural history/educational illustration and graphic novels.
spacestationnathan.com
Becky Hall
Jed Henry
Jed believes that in telling a story, both the teller and the reader need to be having a good time. When Jed writes, he's always surprised by what happens on the next page, and he hopes his readers will be delighted as well. Jed currently lives in small town in the Rocky Mountains with his brilliant wife and two beautiful daughters.
www.jedhenry.com
Linda Hoffman Kimball
Linda Hoffman Kimball has been drawing since she was old enough to hold a crayon. She came to writing as a creative passion (rather than a requirement for studies) when she realized that storing words took up much less space than storing art. Raised in the midwest and paying property taxes there as well as in New England and the Rocky Mountains, Linda loves to travel to visit or host her family and friends. She earned a BA from Wellesley College and an MFA from Boston University. She and her husband have three grown children who have provided much fodder for her material over the years,
www.lindahoffmankimball.com
Becky Hall
Becky Hall grew up in Massachusetts but moved here so long ago that she calls herself a Utahn. During the day she is the Library/Media Specialist at Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School in Salt Lake City. She enjoys hiking and skiing with her family and has always loved to read and write. She went to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., received her Masters Degree from Lesley University in Boston, MA and her Library/Media certification from Utah State University. Becky is married and has two children. When she is not busy at school or with her family, she sits in her window seat and writes and reads. A is for Arches was her first published book. Her second is Morris and Buddy, The First Seeing Eye Dog. A third book is under contract with Sleeping Bear Press.
www.beckyhallbooks.comJed Henry
Jed believes that in telling a story, both the teller and the reader need to be having a good time. When Jed writes, he's always surprised by what happens on the next page, and he hopes his readers will be delighted as well. Jed currently lives in small town in the Rocky Mountains with his brilliant wife and two beautiful daughters.
www.jedhenry.com
Linda Hoffman Kimball
Linda Hoffman Kimball has been drawing since she was old enough to hold a crayon. She came to writing as a creative passion (rather than a requirement for studies) when she realized that storing words took up much less space than storing art. Raised in the midwest and paying property taxes there as well as in New England and the Rocky Mountains, Linda loves to travel to visit or host her family and friends. She earned a BA from Wellesley College and an MFA from Boston University. She and her husband have three grown children who have provided much fodder for her material over the years,
www.lindahoffmankimball.com
Sherry Meidell
Sherry Meidell has spent years researching childhood, first having spent many years as a child followed up by intensive research on the characteristics of boys, five boys to be specific. Her experiences include iguanas in the uppermost reaches of her closet and rosey red feeder fish in the family bath tub. She had the heart of an artist as soon as she could wrap her stubby fingers around a fat crayon. Now she specializes in brushes and watercolor with pencil for detail. She takes great joy in the world of children's book illustration. She is a member of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the Utah Watercolor Society.
www.sherrymeidell.comJulie Olson
Julie Olson graduated with a BFA in illustration from Brigham Young University and has been illustrating ever since. Growing up as one of 9 children and now having some of her own, she has a lot of personal experience and memories to draw from. She loves children's books and the joy they bring to all who take the time to read them. Some of her work includes "Hip, Hip Hooray for Annie McRae!" and "Herd of Cows, Flock of Sheep."
www.jujubeeillustrations.com/bio.htmlMark Pett
Writer and illustrator Mark Pett has practiced his craft in Philadelphia, Prague, Cambridge, and the Mississippi Delta. In addition to illustrating several books, Mark is the coauthor and illustrator of The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes and the creator of the syndicated comic strips Mr. Lowe and Lucky Cow. His most recent book is The Boy and the Airplane (Simon & Schuster). He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife and their two children.
www.markpett.com
Alison Randall
Alison Randall is the author of the award-winning picture book, The Wheat Doll. Besides writing, I like to read, make things with my hands, and play games with my family.
www.alisonlrandall.com
Jean Reagan
I am a children's author living in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was born in Fairhope, Alabama, but spent most of my childhood in Japan. Peter and I have lived in Salt Lake City, Utah for over 30 years. We started our family in 1986 when we adopted a baby boy, John. Two years later we adopted a baby girl, Jane. They shared a happy childhood. We camped, hiked, boated, but our favorite thing to do was to read stacks and stacks of library books together. Since the summer of 2000, my husband and I have served as seasonal backcountry volunteers in Grand Teton National Park.
www.jeanreagan.com
Danna Kessimakis Smith
Danna Kessimakis Smith was born and raised in Murray, Utah. She now lives in Northern California with her husband and two children. Aside from spending time with her family, she is happiest when she is surrounded by nature. In fact, much of her writing reflects her love of the outdoors and of animals. You can find out more about Danna and her books at her Web site.
www.danasmithbooks.com
Shawna JC Tenney
I have always loved to draw ever since I was a little girl. I have also always loved children's books. I am grateful for a mom who loved to read to me. I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from Brigham Young University and started illustrating as a freelance illustrator a year later. Since then, I have created artwork for 16 books along with children's magazines, charities, educational materials, religious materials and theater playbills. I love drawing and learning every day. I enjoy working in a number of mediums including acrylics, digital- Photohop and Painter, charcoal, pastels and watercolor. I live in Utah with my two very artistic little girls and graphic designer husband. One of my favorite things to do is teach an art class for my girls and other neighborhood kids. I love seeing the beautiful artwork they create!
www.shawnajctenney.com
Michael O. Tunnell's book titles include Mailing May (Greenwillow), The Children of Topaz (Holiday House), Brothers in Valor (Holiday House), and The Wishing Moon (Dutton). He teaches children's literature at Brigham Young University, and he has served on the Newbery Award Committee and on the selection committee for the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Tunnell also has published several professional books, including The Story of Ourselves: Teaching History Through Children's Literature (Heinemann) and Children's Literature, Briefly (Prentice Hall), and he has written articles for a variety of educational journals. He and his wife, Glenna, live in Orem, Utah. They have four grown children.Shawna JC Tenney
I have always loved to draw ever since I was a little girl. I have also always loved children's books. I am grateful for a mom who loved to read to me. I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from Brigham Young University and started illustrating as a freelance illustrator a year later. Since then, I have created artwork for 16 books along with children's magazines, charities, educational materials, religious materials and theater playbills. I love drawing and learning every day. I enjoy working in a number of mediums including acrylics, digital- Photohop and Painter, charcoal, pastels and watercolor. I live in Utah with my two very artistic little girls and graphic designer husband. One of my favorite things to do is teach an art class for my girls and other neighborhood kids. I love seeing the beautiful artwork they create!
www.shawnajctenney.com
www.michaelotunnell.com
Kevin Wasden
Kevin Wasden is a freelance artist who has illustrated pretty much everything from dinosaurs to Little Women. He studied illustration at Utah State University and further developed his skills as a figure painter while living in New York City. In addition to creating artwork, Kevin teaches drawing and painting at Unlimited Palette, a school of creative arts located in Clearfield, Utah.
www.kevinwasden.comRick Walton
Rick is the author of over fifty books for kids. He loves to read, travel, watch movies, travel, play bossa nova on the guitar, and travel. He lives in Provo with his wife and five kids, except when they're traveling.
www.rickwalton.comRandall Wright
In addition to the co-authored picture book, The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale, Randall Wright has written several novels for young readers, including Hunchback, A Hundred Days from Home and The Silver Penny.
