For more information, visit monicabrown.net

Monica Brown, Ph.D. is the author of, most recently, Lola Levine is Not Mean!, the first in a chapter book series from Little Brown & Co; She is also the author of Maya's Blanket/la manta de Maya (Lee & Low), a picture book illustrated by Caldecott-winner David Diaz, recently reviewed in the New York Times. She has written many award-winning books for children, including Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People (Henry Holt), winner of the Américas Award for Children's Literature and an Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction, and Waiting for the Biblioburro (Random House), a Christopher Award winner. Her picture book Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/Marisol McDonald (Lee & Low) is the winner of the Tejas Star Book Award, the International Latino Book Award, and a Pura Belpré Honor for Illustration. Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash/Marisol McDonald y la fiesta sin igual, the second book in the Marisol series, was published in September 2013. Her books have received numerous starred reviews and accolades.

Monica's books are inspired by her Peruvian-American heritage and desire to share Latino/a stories with children. "I write from a place of deep passion, joy, and commitment to producing the highest possible quality of literature for children. In my biographies, the lives of my subjects are so interesting and transformational that I am simply giving them voice for a young audience. I don't think it is ever too early to introduce children to the concepts of magical realism, social justice, and dreaming big!" Monica is in demand as a conference keynote speaker and has appeared at ALA, TLA, NCTE, Book Expo America, and at book festivals across the country.

Monica's other books include Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/Lado a lado: La historia de Dolores Huerta y Cesar Chavez (Rayo/HarperCollins), an NAACP Image Award nominee; Tito Puente, Mambo King/Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo (Rayo/HarperCollins); Pelé, King of Soccer/Pelé, el rey del fútbol (Rayo/HarperCollins); and Chavela and the Magic Bubble (Clarion).

Monica Brown is a Professor of English at Northern Arizona University, specializing in U.S. Latino Literature and Multicultural Literature. She writes and publishes scholarly work with a Latino/a focus, including Gang Nation: Delinquent Citizenship in Puerto Rican and Chicano and Chicana Literature; and numerous articles and chapters on Latino/a literature and cultural studies. She was the recipient of the prestigious Rockefeller Fellowship on Chicano Cultural Literacies from the Center for Chicano Studies at the University of California. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Flagstaff, Arizona.

John Parra is an artist, illustrator, author, and educator, best known for his award-winning children’s picture books and commercial works. He regularly speaks as a visiting artist at schools and literary conferences across the country, advocating art and reading education. John currently lives in Queens, New York.