The Rhode Island Festival of Children's Books & Authors 2012

Tom Angleberger

Tom Angleberger is the author of the New York Times bestselling Origami Yoda series, which includes The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Darth Paper Strikes Back, and The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee. He is also the author of Horton Halfpott and Fake Mustache. Visit him online at www.OrigamiYoda.com. He lives in Christiansburg, Virginia, with his wife, the author-illustrator. He lives in Christiansburg, Virginia, with his wife, the author-illustrator Cece Bell.

Harry Bliss

Harry Bliss is a cartoonist and cover artist for The New Yorker magazine. Growing up in upstate New York amidst a family of successful painters and illustrators, Bliss went on to study painting at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Illustration at The University of the Arts (BFA) and Syracuse University (MA). Prior to his cartoons and covers for The New Yorker magazine, Bliss illustrated dozens of book covers for writers such as Lawrence Block, Dorothy Uhnak, Bob Dole, and Fiona Buckley.

Bliss's first children's book, A Fine, Fine School by Newbery-award winning author, Sharon Creech, was a New York Times bestseller. Bliss went on to illustrate Which Would You Rather Be? by William Steig, Countdown To Kindergarten by Alison McGhee, a winner of the Minnesota Book Award, and Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, a #1 New York Times bestseller as well as Don't Forget To Come Back by Robie H. Harris (featured in the 24th Annual Exhibition of "The Original Art Show" at the Society of Illustrators).

Harry Bliss lives in South Burlington, Vermont.

Website: http://www.harrybliss.com/main_content.html

Michael Buckley

Michael Buckley’s Grimm future began at birth in Akron, Ohio. He attended Ohio University where he worked on the school newspaper, hosted his own live television talk show and formed a comedy troupe. After graduating with honors he moved to New York City to find his fortune, but instead found work as a pasta maker, hamburger flipper, personal assistant, stand-up comic, and even a singer in a punk rock band. His parents worried that Michael might be shiftless but he assured them that he was acquiring valuable life experience (but really he was just trying to pay the rent). Eventually he found work in television production and in his ten year career he has developed programming for MTV, MTV Animation, Discovery Networks and Klasky Csupo (producers of Nickelodeon's Rugrats), focusing heavily on children’s programming.

The Sisters Grimm series is Michael’s first venture into the world of children’s book writing. His mom and dad insist they are proud of him, even if the whole “I’m going to write a book” idea sounded like another one of their son’s poorly thought out money-making schemes he claimed was “life experience.” Michael lives in New York City with his wife Alison and their dog, Daisy.

 Brian Floca

Brian Floca is the author and illustrator of Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, Lightship, and The Racecar Alphabet. He is the illustrator of the popular Poppy Stories series, by Avi; Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring, by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan; and, most recently, Marty McGuire Digs Worms!, by Kate Messner. His books have received three Robert F. Sibert Honor awards, an Orbis Pictus Award, a selection on The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books list, and a silver medal from the Society of Illustrators.

Brian was born and raised in Temple, Texas. He graduated from Brown University and received his MFA from the School of Visual Arts. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can visit him online at brianfloca.com

Website: http://www.brianfloca.com/

Mary-Louise Gay

Marie-Louise Gay is a world-renowned author and illustrator of children's books. She has won many prestigious awards, including the Governor General's Award, the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award, the Vicky Metcalf Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. She has also been nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her books have been translated into more than fifteen languages and are loved by children all over the world. She lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Alan Katz

Alan Katz - As a print and television writer, I've majored in silliness for more than 30 years. During that time, I've written for a whole bunch of Emmy-nominated TV shows (five years worth of parody songs and other funny stuff for The Rosie O’Donnell Show), animated series like Taz-Mania, Disney’s Raw Toonage and Goof Troop, several editions of the Grammy Awards and Tony Awards, Kids Are People Too, a slew of Nickelodeon projects including Whoopi’s Littleburg, network specials, game shows, articles for publications including the New York Times and the New York Daily News, and I've created hundreds of comic books, trading cards, web videos, and other special projects for kids and their parents.

Lynn Munsinger

Lynn Munsinger was born in Massachusetts. She has illustrated more than ninety books for children -- bringing Wodney Wat, Tacky the Penguin, a porcupine named Fluffy, the Teeny Tiny Ghost, and Ogden Nash's Custard the Dragon to charming life. Her watercolor illustrations have been praised for their "classic quality" (Publishers Weekly) and "mix of wry humor and affection" (Booklist).

Justin Roberts 

Justin Roberts is truly one of the "all-stars" of the indie family music scene. He logs thousands of miles on the road each year, leading some to call him the hardest working man in children's show business. With numerous national awards and recognition and a devoted fan base, Justin and The Not Ready for Naptime Players dish out unexpectedly intelligent and whimsically rocking music for kids and their parents.

Website: http://www.justinroberts.org/home.php

Pam Munoz Ryan

    

Pam Muñoz Ryan is the National Education Association's author recipient of the Civil and Human Rights Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for Multicultural Literature, and twice the recipient of the Willa Cather award for writing. She has written many books for young people, which range from picture books for the very young (TONY BALONEY) to young adult novels, including: ESPERANZA RISING, BECOMING NAOMI LEÓN, RIDING FREEDOM, PAINT THE WIND, and THE DREAMER, which has been awarded, among other accolades, the Pura Belpré Medal, the Américas Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, the Nautilus Award, and the PEN USA Literary Award.  

 Stephen Savage

Stephen Savage is known for his economical style of illustration that conveys complex ideas and emotion with simple lines and color. He is the illustrator of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling picture book Polar Bear Night, which was named a New York Times Best Illustrated children’s book and an ALA Notable Book. He is the creator of Where’s Walrus?, also named an ALA Notable Book as well as a best book of 2011 by Publisher’s Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, and the Horn Book. He wrote and illustrated Little Tug, which will be published by Roaring Brook Press this fall. His editorial illustration has appeared in dozens of major newspapers and magazines including the New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. In 2008, he was the recipient of a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and their daughter.

 http://www.stephensavage.net/

Gary Schmidt

Gary Schmidt is a professor of English at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He received both a Newbery Honor and a Printz Honor for Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and a Newbery Honor for The Wednesday Wars. He lives with his family on a 150-year-old farm in Alto, Michigan, where he splits wood, plants gardens, writes, and feeds the wild cats that drop by.

Chris Van Allsburg

Chris Van Allsburg won Caldecott Medals for his lavishly illustrated books Jumanji (1982) and The Polar Express(1986). Van Allsburg's books are known for their mysterious stories and whimsically dreamy images. He is one of the most prolific and successful children's illustrators.

 His other books include Ben's Dream (1982), The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (1985), The Wretched Stone (1991), and Zathura, a follow-up to Jumanji, in 2001. Jumanji was made into a movie in 1995, starring Robin Williams and Kirsten. A holiday film based on The Polar Express was released in 2004, with Tom Hanks as the train's conductor.

Website: http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com/flash.html