Brenna Burns Yu (she/they) is the author and illustrator of two Hazel and Twig books published by Candlewick Press. Brenna has an MFA from the Fiber Department of Cranbrook Academy of Art, and their artistic practice continues to be shaped by their love of fabric, paper, and patterns. Brenna works ink, pencil, watercolor, and gouache, and they love to see visible traces of the art-making process in their finished work. Brenna also brings their love for nature and early scientific exploration to libraries, leading art activities based on the Hazel and Twig books.

Self-Identifiers: Non-binary; LGBTQIA + Family

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Cornelius Van Wright is an award-winning children’s book illustrator, an author, and an art instructor. He has illustrated numerous picture books, many of which he co-illustrated with his wife, Ying Hwa-Hu. His work has appeared on Reading Rainbow and Storytime and has been exhibited in Bologna Book Fair and the Society of Illustrators. Cornelius’ authored-illustrated picture books have garnered praise from The Horn Book, Kirkus Review, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and many others. Cornelius also teaches at Fred Dolan Art Academy. His students have attended and graduated from many top art colleges in the country. Cornelius lives with his wife in New York City.

Self-Identifiers: African-American

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An old vagabond that loves a good story, Morgan Thompson is a Cherokee artist that loves telling stories. She is Keetoowah Cherokee with membership in Cherokee Nation and comes from the Cherokee Nation Reservation in Northeastern Oklahoma. When not drawing, you can find her writing, and when she isn’t writing you can find her beading. She has a deep love for her Cherokee community and telling Indigenous stories to a wider audience.

Self-Identifiers: Indigenous; Native American; Cherokee; First American

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Elizabeth Schoonmaker is an artist, illustrator, writer, designer and picture book author of Square Cat and Square Cat ABC. Elizabeth’s work is community based with roadside attractions, nursing home portraits, oral interviews, and interactive sculptures. Elizabeth lives in the Town of Plainfield, in Upstate New York.

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Amy Schimler-Safford has had an impressive career as a textile designer and children’s illustrator for over two decades. Her children’s book illustrations have been well reviewed and award-winning. In 2010 “Why is the Sky Blue?” was paired with an Eric Carle title for Booktrust.org’s book bag program. Over 700,00 book bags were distributed to first year students throughout the UK. Some very generous words used to describe her work: “glimmering”, “lavish”, “vibrant”, “gorgeous”, “magical”, “lush”, “amazing”, “breathtaking”, “gloriously colorful”, “dreamlike”, “luminous”, “dynamic”, “engaging’, “skillful”, “alluring” and a “celebration of observation”.

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Sean Rubin was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a city kid, he entertained himself by collecting interesting things, learning about unusual subjects, and by drawing characters from books, especially Redwall and The Lord of the Rings. Bolivar, the first book Sean both wrote and illustrated, received three starred reviews, and was nominated for an Eisner award, an ELG, and a Ringo award.

Self-Identifiers: Jewish; New York City; Rural

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Ariel Slamet Ries is the Ignatz-award winning cartoonist and author of graphic novels Witchy and Cry Wolf Girl. They’re interested in using a fantastical lens to examine the mundane, and curating empathy for flawed characters. Their debut graphic novel with HarperCollins, Strange Bedfellows—a queer YA sci-fi romance about a boy who develops the ability to manifest his dreams in real life, including his infuriatingly attractive high school crush—is set for release in March of 2025.

Self-Identifiers: South East Asian; Mixed race (Asian/White); Queer; Trans; Neurodivergent; Non-Binary 

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Jennifer Black Reinhardt is the author and illustrator of several acclaimed books for children, including Always by My Side: A Stuffie Story, Playing Possum, and Blue Ethel. She illustrated Gondra’s Treasure and Yaks Yak, both written by Newbery award winner Linda Sue Park, as well as illustrating Sometimes You Fly by Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate, to name a few. Her books have received many starred reviews and been selected for recommended lists. Jennifer joyfully creates picture books from her comfortably cluttered studio in her Iowa City, Iowa home.

Self-Identifiers: Woman

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Alice Ratterree is an illustrator for young audiences based in Greenville, South Carolina. She began her career in music, as a classically trained singer working in operatic, concert, and oratorio venues. Alice’s work has appeared in the children’s book publishing market, magazines, newspapers, numerous hospitals, and schools, and even in the Cannon Tunnel of the United States Capitol.

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Daria Peoples earned a BA in English at UC Santa Barbara, California, where she found herself shelving books at the library and reading many notable writers. Daria’s debut picture book, This is It was published by Greenwillow/HarperCollins in 2018, she has then illustrated many other children’s books, which can be found on her website.

Self-Identifiers: Black; Cuban; Female

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Andy Chou Musser makes books for kids. He is the author and illustrator of the picture book A Home Under the Stars, co-creator of the picture book Papilio with Ben Clanton and Corey R. Tabor, and co-creator of two series for young readers: Science Explorers with Amy Seto Forrester and Ploof with Ben Clanton. Andy lives in Seattle with his partner and two cats.

Self-Identifiers: Chinese-American; Asian-American; Mixed-Race; POC; AAHIPI 

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Hillary Moore is an artist and illustrator whose artwork is inspired by whimsical elements of nature and the wonder of a child’s perspective. Working in watercolor and gouache, she enjoys playing with layered realities and scale. Her imagery often features characters who are exploring and finding joy in the world around them. Hillary lives in Seattle, Washington where she has plenty of chances to explore mountains, tide pools, and rainforests and gather inspiration from her own two kids who are wildly imaginative.

Self-Identifiers: Mixed Race; Asian-American; Femme; Parent

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Robert Liu-Trujillo is an author and illustrator whose storytelling and vibrant visual art reflect his cultural heritage and dedication to social justice. His work explores themes of identity, history, family, mixed heritage, literacy, and agency. Robert is a life long Bay Area resident. Born in Oakland, California, he’s the child of student activists who watched lots of science fiction and took him to many demonstrations. Always drawing, Rob grew up to be an artist falling in love with graffiti, fine art, illustration, murals, and children’s books. In that order, sort of. Through storytelling he’s been able to scratch the surface of so many untold stories.

Self-Identifiers: African-American; Mexican or Latino; Korean or Asian; Apache or Native-American; Mixed Heritage

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Bagram Ibatoulline is an award-winning American illustrator who has illustrated over thirty acclaimed books for children. His books have been published all across the globe and have been translated into dozens of languages. He is celebrated internationally for his best-selling titles like The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller.

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Kayla Harren graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City with a BFA in illustration. She has illustrated Calvin, winner of the 2022 Lambda Literary Award; A Boy Like You, winner of the 2019 EUREKA Gold Award; The Boy Who Grew a Forest, winner of the 2020 Crystal Kite Award; and Thursday, featured in the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show.

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Melissa Gardner is an adolescent psychotherapist turned author/illustrator who now lives in the rainy forest outside Eugene, Oregon. Her style is a blend of traditional and digital media, with a focus on natural beauty, tender emotions, and a dash of magic. When she’s not drawing, she’s often snuggling with her three dogs, hanging out with her family, or coming up with recipes that remind her of childhood.

Self-Identifiers: Neurodivergent; LGBTQIA+

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C.G. Esperanza was born the second of six cool kids. The South Bronx is where he first opened his eyelids. A land shrouded in bright colored decay, the birthplace of graffiti and the hip-hop DJ. He paints fantasy worlds of elephants and castles, too. Accompanying this wonder is some whimsical truth. Author and Illustrator of Red, Yellow, Blue and a Dash of White Too! (SkyponyPress), Boogie Boogie, Y’all (HarperCollins), and the upcoming Dragon Mama (HarperCollins). He has also illustrated the picture book, My Daddy is a Cowboy.

Self-Identifiers: Black; African American; Latino; Puerto Rican; LGBTQ+

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Sarah Dvojack was born and raised in Washington State and graduated from Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts with a degree in graphic design, she went on to study in the School of Visual Arts’ MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program. She is the author-illustrator of Welcome to Fear City and Rosie the Riveter, and the illustrator of Ruby’s Hope (Junior Library Guild Selection) and Madame Alexander (Junior Library Guild Selection; Sydney Taylor Notable Picture Book). After a decade in New York City, she now lives with her partner and cats in that bastion of American horror and children’s books, Maine, and works as a book designer.

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Alina Chau 周曉芬 is an accomplished author and illustrator who has made significant contributions to the animation and gaming industries. Her debut graphic novel, Marshmallow and Jordan, won multiple awards, including the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Award and the Sakura Medal for Best Middle-Grade Graphic Novel in Japan in 2023. Her other highly acclaimed children’s picture books include The Rise (And Falls) of Jackie Chan, Lunar New Year, In the Spirit of a Dream, and the APALA Picture Book Honor, The Nian Monster. Alina’s work is inspirational and imaginative, a testament to the power of creativity and the importance of embracing diverse perspectives.

Self-Identifiers: First-Generation Asian-American; Indonesian-Chinese; Chinese; Multicultural; International

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Nico Bocalan (or Nico or skelehime) is a horror cartoonist working on her first full-length horror graphic novel. She enjoys horror movies, books, junk food, coding, and biking at a leisurely pace.

Self-Identifiers: Filipino; Queer; Woman

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