Rhode Island Festival of
Children's Books & Authors

Save the Date!

October 16 & 17, 2026

Featuring...

Sophie Blackall - is a highly acclaimed, award-winning author and illustrator of over 50 children's books. Born in Australia, she is best known for winning the prestigious Randolph Caldecott Medal twice: for Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear (2016) and Hello Lighthouse (2019).

Alyssa Satin Capucilli - is the award-winning and New York Times best-selling author of more than 150 books for children, including the Biscuit series which has sold more than 54 million copies worldwide and is available in 12 languages. There are now more than 100 books in the Biscuit series. In addition to Biscuit, Alyssa has authored more than 50 books for children, including the Katy Duck series, the non-fiction My First Experiences Series, and many more. 

Tami Charles -  is a former teacher and full-time author of picture books, middle grade and young adult novels, and nonfiction. As a teacher, she made it her mission to introduce her students to all types of literature, but especially diverse books. While it was refreshing to see a better selection than what she was accustomed to as a child, Tami felt there weren’t nearly as many diverse books as she’d hoped for. It was then that she decided to reignite her passion for writing. Tami is the author of the middle-grade novel Like Vanessa (2018) and the picture book Freedom Soup (Candlewick Press, 2019).

Kate DiCamillo - is a highly acclaimed American author of children's and young adult fiction. Best known for modern classics like Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux, she is one of the few authors to win two prestigious Newbery Medals. 

Carter Goodrich - has illustrated sixteen New Yorker covers and was the lead character designer for Brave, Ratatouille (for which he won the International Animated Film Society’s Annie Award for character design), and Despicable Me. A Rhode Island School of Design graduate, he has twice been awarded the gold medal from the Society of Illustrators in New York. His picture books include We Forgot Brock!, Say Hello to Zorro!, Zorro Gets an Outfit, Mister Bud Wears the Cone, A Creature Was Stirring, and The Hermit Crab. 

Molly Idle - is the author and illustrator of the Caldecott Honor-winning picture book Flora and the Flamingo (and the rest of the Flora books too). She’s also the creator of the Rex series (which includes Tea Rex and Sea Rex), the mermaid tales Pearl and Coral, and, most recently, Witch Hazel.

Alan Katz - has written more than forty highly acclaimed children’s books, including Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs, The Day the Mustache Took Over, OOPS!, Really Stupid Stories for Really Smart Kids, and the New York Times bestseller Misty the Cloud, with Dylan Dreyer. Alan has received many state awards for children’s literature, and he frequently visits schools across the country. 

Kara LaReau - is a former editor and award-winning author. She is also the author of the Geisel-award-winning chapter book series, The Infamous Ratsos, along with many other subversive, silly, and fun books for kids. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her husband, their kid, and a cat.

Juana Martinez-Neal - is the daughter and granddaughter of painters. Alma and How She Got Her Name was her first book as author-illustrator. She is the New York Times bestselling illustrator, recipient of a  Caldecott Honor, two Sibert Medals and a Pura Belpré Medal for Illustration. Juana was born in Peru and lives in Connecticut with her family.

Jason Reynolds - is an acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling American author who writes poetry, novels, and non-fiction for children and young adult audiences. He is widely celebrated for his raw, authentic portrayals of urban youth and communities of color.

Scott Rothman - is a writer of picture books, screenplays, theater, and humor pieces. Scott’s debut picture book ATTACK OF THE UNDERWEAR DRAGON, and its sequel RETURN OF THE UNDERWEAR DRAGON (Random House, illustrated by Pete Oswald) were both National Indie bestsellers. His newest book JUDGY BUNNY & THE TERRIBLE BEACH (Sourcebooks, illustrated by Linzie Hunter) is an Amazon Editor's pick and was selected for the Kids Indie Next list.

Philip Stead - is the author of the Caldecott Medal–winning book A Sick Day for Amos McGee. With his wife, illustrator Erin Stead, he also created Bear Has a Story to Tell, Lenny & Lucy, and The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine, based on a previously-unpublished children’s story by Mark Twain. Philip has also written and illustrated his own books, including Hello, My Name Is Ruby; Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat; and A Home for Bird. Philip and Erin live in northern Michigan.