Picture Book Luminaries

Mac Barnett is a New York Times-bestselling author of stories for children. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages and sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. Mac’s picture books include two Caldecott-Honor-winning collaborations with Jon Klassen: Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, which also won the E.B White Read-Aloud Award, and Extra Yarn, which won both the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award. Leo: A Ghost Story, illustrated by Christian Robinson, Just Because, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, and The Skunk, illustrated by Patrick McDonnell, were all named Best Illustrated Books by The New York Times. Mac's novels include the Mac B., Kid Spy books, the Brixton Brothers mysteries and the Terrible Two series. He lives in Oakland, California.

Jane Yolen is an author of children’s books, fantasy, and science fiction, including Owl Moon, The Devil’s Arithmetic, and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? She is also a poet, a teacher of writing and literature, and a reviewer of children’s literature. She has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the twentieth century. Jane Yolen’s books and stories have won the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, the Golden Kite Award, the Jewish Book Award, the World Fantasy Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Association of Jewish Libraries Award among many others. Jane lives in a Victorian farmhouse in Western Massachusetts where she holds yearly writers retreats along with her daughter Heidi, the little girl in Owl Moon. She also has a house in Scotland where she can be seen strolling through the neighborhood of St. Andrews four months of the year. In 2018, Jane published her 365th book, which means you can now read a Jane Yolen book every day of the year. Follow along here.

Heidi E.Y. Stemple didn’t want to be a writer when she grew up. In fact, after she graduated from college, she became a probation officer in Florida. It wasn’t until she was 28 years old that she gave in and joined the family business, publishing her first short story in a book called Famous Writers and Their Kids Write Spooky Stories. The famous writer was her mom, author Jane Yolen. Since then, she has published more than twenty-five books and numerous short stories and poems, mostly for children. Heidi lives and writes on a big old farm in Massachusetts that she shares with one very small cat who lives inside, and a dozen deer, a family of bears, three coyotes, two bobcats, a gray fox, tons of birds, and some very fat groundhogs who live outside.

The Fan Brothers, Eric and Terry, received their formal art training at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. Their work is a blend of traditional and contemporary techniques, using ink or graphite mixed with digital. The Night Gardener was their first widely acclaimed debut picture book. They have followed up with award-winning books such as The Darkest Dark, The Antlered Ship, Ocean Meets Sky (recently optioned for a film), and The Scarecrow. The Fan Brothers are Eric and Terry, a creative team that made a writing debut with their illustrated children’s book The Night Gardener. Eric Fan was born in Hawaii and raised in Toronto where he continues to live. Eric has a passion for vintage bikes, clockwork contraptions, and impossible dreams. See more of his work at Society6 , Redbubble, Caseable, DenyDesigns, and on Facebook (Eric Fan Illustration). Terry Fan was born in Illinois and now lives in Toronto. Eric and Terry have collaborated as illustrators of other people’s work and have worked independently as illustrators. Terry spends his days (and nights) creating magical paintings, portraits, and prints. Visit him online at Society6,Caseable, DenyDesigns, and Facebook (Terry Fan Illustration).