Best in Show

David Elliott is the award-winning author of more than twenty-five books for young people, including the picture books On the Farm and the New York Times bestselling And Here’s to You! He is the author of the critically acclaimed verse novels Bull, which received six starred reviews, and Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc, which was shortlisted for the American Library in Paris Book Award and is the recipient of the Claudia Lewis Award for poetry. A native of Ohio, David now lives (and writes) in New Hampshire with his wife and their Dandie Dinmont terrier, Quiggy. Learn more about David by visiting davidelliottbooks.com. Leo Espinosa is an award-winning illustrator and designer from Bogotá, Colombia, whose picture books include the New York Times bestselling and Pura Belpré Honor Book Islandborn by Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Díaz, Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones, and Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph by Lucy Margaret Rozier. Leo lives with his family in Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit him at studioespinosa.com.  Charles Santoso loves drawing little things in his little journal and dreams about funny, wondrous stories. He moves around between different countries to live and work. Charles is always on the lookout for bookstores and cats whenever he explores a new place. He is the illustrator of several picture books, including Ida, Always, I Will Read to You, and Dear Unicorn. You can visit him at charlessantoso.com. Oge Mora graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in illustration. Her debut picture book, Thank You, Omu!, was a Caldecott Honor Book, a New York Times Notable Book and Editors’ Choice, and a Junior Library Guild selection. She is also the author-illustrator of Saturday as well as the illustrator of The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read. Oge lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and invites you to visit her website at ogemora.com. Cátia Chien is a Brazilian Taiwanese illustrator of celebrated picture books, including The Longest Letsgoboy, The Bear and the Moon, and A Boy and a Jaguar, recipient of the Schneider Family Book Award. Her art has been shown in galleries worldwide. She is also the founder of A Thousand Worlds, a curated picture book directory celebrating BIPOC creators. She lives with her family in Los Angeles. Visit her at catiachien.com.  Raúl the Third is the New York Times bestselling, three-time Pura Belpré Award–winning author-illustrator of ¡Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market, ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat, ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge, and the rest of the World of ¡Vamos! series. He is also the illustrator of Schneider Family Book Award honoree Stuntboy, in the Meantime, written by Jason Reynolds, and the Lowriders series, written by Cathy Camper. Raúl was born in Texas and grew up going back and forth between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, México. He now lives in Medford, Massachusetts, with his collaborator and fellow New York Times bestselling artist, Elaine Bay, and their son, Raúl the Fourth. Elaine Bay graduated from the University of Texas in El Paso with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and received her master’s degree from a university not worth mentioning. She is a video artist, printmaker, performance artist, and graphic designer. With Raúl the Third, she has worked on countless posters, SpongeBob comics, and most recently ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Read and ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge from Versify Books. Cindy Derby is an author and illustrator of many critically acclaimed books for children, including Outside In, written by Deborah Underwood, which received a 2021 Caldecott Honor as well as five starred reviews. Cindy’s books have been translated all over the world and have also been awarded a Golden Kite Honor for Picture Book Illustration, a Crystal Kite Award, and many international awards. She lives in San Francisco with her family. Rebecca Green is an illustrator of many children’s and middle grade books, including How to Be a Good Creature, The Unicorn in the Barn, Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea, Madame Saqui, and From Far Away. She resides with her husband and their lovely animals, Mori and Junie B. Visit her at myblankpaper.com. Ebony Glenn is an Atlanta-based illustrator who enjoys bringing stories to life with whimsical illustrations. Ebony is the illustrator of Mommy’s Khimar, written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow; Speak Up, written by Miranda Paul; Flying High and Brave Ballerina, written by Michelle Meadows; and Red Shoes, written by Karen English. You can visit her at ebonyglenn.com. Julie Flett is a Cree-Métis author, illustrator, and artist who has received numerous awards for her books, including two Governor General’s Awards, the American Indian Library Association Award, and the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Her books have been selected for Best of the Year lists by media outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, The Horn Book, the Boston Globe, School Library Journal, the Globe and Mail, and Kirkus Reviews. Antoinette Portis is the author and illustrator of the international bestseller Not a Box (a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and a 2007 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book), Not a Stick, A Penguin Story (also chosen as a New York Times Best Illustrated Book), and many more books for children. She attended the UCLA School of Fine Arts and is a former creative director at Disney. Antoinette lives in Southern California. David Ezra Stein is the Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator and author of Interrupting Chicken as well as many other award-winning picture books, including Dinosaur Kisses; Hush, Little Bunny; and Leaves, winner of an Ezra Jack Keats Award. He lives in Kew Gardens, New York, with his two children and a bunny named Bun Bun. Emily Hughes is the award winning author-illustrator of Wild, The Little Gardener, The Snail, and others. Born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, Emily Hughes now lives in London. Matthew Cordell is the acclaimed author and illustrator of the Caldecott Medal winner Wolf in the Snow. He is also the author and illustrator of Cornbread & Poppy and Trouble Gum and the illustrator of If the S in Moose Comes Loose, Toot Toot Zoom!, Mighty Casey, Righty and Lefty, and Toby and the Snowflakes, which was written by his wife. Matthew lives in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, with his wife, author Julie Halpern, and their two children. You can visit him online at matthewcordell.com. Kenard Pak is originally from Howard County, Maryland. He worked as a visual development artist for DreamWorks Animation, Disney Feature Animation, and LAIKA Studios before he began illustrating picture books, including Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?, The Dinner That Cooked Itself, The Fog, and Cat Wishes. He has also written and illustrated a seasonal series that began with Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn. Kenard lives and works in lovely San Francisco with his wife and cats. You can visit his website at pandagun.com. Raissa Figueroa is an illustrator and graphic designer based in San Diego, California. Her art graces picture books such as Princess Unlimited, by Jacob Sager Weinstein, and Oona, by Kelly DiPucchio.  rizzyfig.com Twitter and Instagram: @rizzyfig