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March 24, 2023
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May 12, 2023Awesome KidLit Authors for Your PK-8 Library
GREAT AUTHORS TO ADD TO YOUR PK-8 LIBRARY: There's so much talent in the KidLit Community, but here are a few must haves. Great readalouds. Great studies for author's craft. A short list of must haves for bringing in books your patrons will crave.
Kathleen Doherty
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kathleen enjoys bringing kids and quality literature together. She's a Reading Specialist and an Educational Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction. Her love of learning has led her to graduate from four different universities.
Nothing scares her. Kathleen has taught elementary school for over 30 years. A student once told her she'd make a great vampire because she's tall and her teeth are sharp!
Her first picture book, Don't Feed the Bear, is featured on Kirkus Reviews' recommended list and is in its seventh printing. Her second picture book, The Thingity-Jig, received STARRED REVIEWS from Kirkus Reviews, is a CCBC Choice, and has been published in nine languages. Her third book, The Twist-a-Roo, was released in November 2023. (Amazon)
Don't Feed the Bears (2018)
The Thingity-Jig (2021)
The Twist-A-Roo (2023)
The Twist-A-Roo
Winter is fast approaching the forest and everyone is storing food for a long hibernation. Except Badger. He's determined to find something fun to play with during the cold months ahead and finds a Twist-a-Roo. (Amazon)
The Thingity-Jig
Under the light of a silvery moon, an inquisitive bear ventures into People Town, where he makes quite the curious discovery. What is this? A springy thing—a bouncy thing—a sit-on-it, jump-on-it thing! (Amazon)
Maria Gianferrari
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Maria Gianferrari is a community scientist, self-taught naturalist and bird nerd who holds an M.A. in Creative Writing and a Ph.D. in English. She is the author of narrative nonfiction picture books which celebrate urban ecosystems, the natural world and our wild neighbors including Bobcat Prowling, Whoo-Ku Haiku, Hawk Rising and Coyote Moon. She also writes engaging expository nonfiction such as Be a Tree!, Terrific Tongues and Play Like an Animal to inspire young readers with fascinating STEM stuff. Maria’s forthcoming nature titles include You and the Bowerbird, Thank a Farmer and Fungi Grow as well as her first book of poetry, Ice Cycle: Poems About the Life of Ice.
As a lover of dogs, Maria’s fiction picture books star dogs as main characters and explore the human-canine bond. Titles include Being a Dog: A Tail of Mindfulness, Hello Goodbye Dog, Operation Rescue Dog, Officer Katz and Houndini, the Penny & Jelly books and the forthcoming, To Dogs With Love. (Amazon)
To Dogs with Love
A dog lover gives thanks to every human's best friend in this sweet ode to dogs of all kinds—especially service dogs. (Amazon)
Being a Cat
Companion to Being a Dog: A child, a cat, and a heap of curiosity is sure to spark cat-astrophic big love for our feline cousins. (Amazon)
Be a Tree
Be a Tree! is a lyrical, gorgeously illustrated look at the majesty of trees—and what humans can learn from them. (Amazon)
Coyote Moon
In the dark of the night, a mother coyote stalks prey to feed her hungry pups and hunts through town, where she encounters a mouse, a rabbit, angry geese, and an unsuspecting turkey. (Amazon)
Hawk Rising
High above a house Father Hawk circles, sharp eyes searches prey. Swoosh! He dives. Screech! What’s for dinner? (Amazon)
Bobcat Prowling
Young bobcat leaves tracks in the snow and sets out to find a home of his own amidst harsh winds and icy chill of winter, hunting for prey as he goes. He tracks hare, squirrel, pheasant until… LEAP! (Amazon)
Thank a Farmer
Across wheat fields and city rooftop gardens, mushroom beds and maple forests, Thank a Farmer traces the food and clothing that a family uses back to the people who harvested and created them. (Amazon)
Being a Dog
Join a child and a dog as they experience every minute of the day to its fullest—from the second they wake up to the moment they fall asleep. Read into the senses and bark, wag, and exercise your day. (Amazon)
You and the Bowerbird
On the edge of a rainforest, between house and trees, a Bowerbirds searches for the perfect welcome mat for his new home. (Amazon)
Kari Lavelle
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kari Lavelle is the author of We Move the World (HarperCollins), the Butt of Face? series (Sourcebooks 2023) as well as the upcoming Ode to Grapefruit: How James Earl Jones Discovered His Voice (Knopf, 2024). She has always had a love of words: as a kid reading books, as a speech pathologist helping children communicate, and now as a writer creating stories. She lives in Austin, Texas with her human family and their dog, Dobby. (Amazon)
Butt or Face Revenge of the Butts (2024)
Butt or Face (2023)
We Move the World (2021)
Ode to Grapefruit (2024)
Butt or Face
In this simply hilarious butt-face puzzler, readers can guess which end is up amidst googly eyes, fast-fact, and animal puns. (Booklist, STARRED Review)
Ode to Grapefruit
Learn how legendary actor James Earl Jones, a stutterer who stopped speaking for eight years as a child, ultimately found his voice through poetry. (Amazon)
Stacy McAnulty
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stacy McAnulty is a children’s book author, who used to be a mechanical engineer, who’s also qualified to be a dog therapist (is that a thing???), a correspondent for The Daily Show (why not), and a Green Bay Packer coach (totally!).
She's written thirty books including her debut middle-grade novel, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and the 2017 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor book Excellent Ed, illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach. Her other picture books include Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, illustrated by David Litchfield; Max Explains Everything: Grocery Store Expert, illustrated by Deborah Hocking, Brave and Beautiful, both illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff; Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He's the Favorite, illustrated by Edward Hemingway; and 101 Reasons I Am Not Taking A Bath, illustrated by Joy Ang. She’s also authored the chapter book series The Dino Files.
When not writing, Stacy likes to listen to NPR, bake triple-chocolate cupcakes, and eat triple-chocolate cupcakes. (Amazon)
(The Evers) Forever Twelve
I Want 100 Dogs
One aspiring dog owner and her parents ponder all the best and worst of bringing home more dogs than you can shake a stick at. (Amazon)
Pluto! Not a Planet, Not a Problem
Where are the Aliens?
Save the People
Scientists estimate that 99% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct. Whoa. So, it's not unreasonable to predict humans are doomed to become fossil records as well. But what could lead to our demise? (Amazon)
Millionaires for the Month
Felix Rannells and Benji Porter were never supposed to be field-trip partners. Felix is a rule follower. Benji is a rule bender. They're not friends. And they don't have anything to talk about until they find a wallet, belonging to tech billionaire Laura Friendly. (Amazon)
Brains, Not Just A Zombie Snack
Brains. 78% water, 100% delicious. A zombie chef who has sworn off eating brains salivates over this super powerful organ in this funny and fact-filled picture book. (Amazon)
Blood! Not Just a Vampire Drink
A Blood Smoothie Shop, where all products are 100% blood-free, is good news for humans, but bad news for a thirsty vampire who craves a pint of O-positive. With a help from a friend, he’ll realize that blood isn’t a beverage. Humans need it! (Amazon)
I Want 100 Dogs
One aspiring dog owner and her parents ponder all the best and worst of bringing home more dogs than you can shake a stick at. (Amazon)
Ame Dykeman
Truly not afraid to be a jokester, Ame's books never disappoint and are always a top pick for library read aloud. These titles get ten-thousand thumbs up (and sure to draw a crowd of gigglers).
How Dinosaurs Went Extinct
Tiny Barbarian
Tiny Barbarian Conquers the Kraken!
Tiny wants to Conquer The Kraken in the choppy seas, too, but he must first calm his fears and learn to swim! (Amazon)
These brilliant authors begin our list of the extreme talent out there, but these are definitely top picks for engaging reads and readalouds. Watch for our next-in-list... More to come as we continue our library talent adventure.
