Dona Herweck Rice is the prolific author of books, stories, and poems for children of all ages. She’s written hundreds of books and more on just about every topic under the sun, from acrobats to zucchini and everything in between. She has also written award-winning books and curriculums for educators, especially on the subjects of writing and language arts. In fact, her first publications were a series for teachers on how to teach writing in the classroom. She spearheaded the development of Write TIME for Kids, which earned the Golden Lamp award for curriculum from the Association of American Publishers. Her writing is featured heavily in such acclaimed series as Focused Phonics, Untold Stories, Fiction Readers, Nonfiction Readers, Learn and Create, and more.

Dona’s best-selling children’s title with more than 13,000 copies is How Plants Grow, and her most recent titles include dozens of books for the Exploration Storytime series, two titles in the Curious Me!™ board book series, and Ride with Rampage in partnership with the Los Angeles Rams. When Dona visits classrooms to talk about being an author, the most requested titles include History’s Mysteries, Bad Guys and Gals of the Wild West, and Oh, Rats!––the latter being one of Dona’s particular favorites.

Dona is the creator of Cam E. Chameleon, the enchanting little reptile featured in her books The Adventures of Cam E. Chameleon and Cam and Sam’s Colorful Adventure. Observant readers can also find Cam singing and dancing throughout the illustrated retelling of If You’re Happy and You Know It.

Writing is Dona’s passion, but she also loves reading, live theater, and handmade arts and crafts, with many artists and creatives in all mediums among her extended family. Dona was a preschool and middle school teacher and is an acting coach for all ages. She lives in southern California with her husband, son, and one cute, silly, and loveable little dog.

Avery Rabedeaux is an author in the Curious Me!™ board book series and the author of Ezra Watches the Weather. She started writing in second grade, when she authored playful stories of mermaids. Avery fostered her writing throughout her primary education, going on to earn her B.A. in creative writing. Avery’s love for writing grows stronger every day, and one of her creative outlets is writing children’s books. She’s particularly fond of poetic devices and makes a point to include them in her stories, mainly assonance and consonance and a few well-timed onomatopoeias. You can usually find her with a pen and notebook or a laptop with an open project, though she prefers the somewhat old-fashioned pen-and-paper approach. When Avery isn’t writing, you can find her exploring with her husband and son: picking produce in the backyard, looking for pretty rocks, observing different bugs and animals, and even hiking in open spaces. She never knows when inspiration will strike, though, so even when exploring, she’s always ready for that inspiration to hit.

Alison Behnke is a writer and editor. She has written dozens of books for children and she is curious about subjects ranging from animals and geography to history and fashion. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Addy Rivera Sonda is the illustrator of Strong Mama, Bobby and the Big Valentine, and more. She lives in a little micro-sanctuary with her partner, a rescued sheep, a chicken, and seven cats! She knows imagining the world we want to live in is the first step in creating it. Addy lives in southern Mexico.