Mr. Jay is the author of numerous bestselling children's books, including Ricky, the Rock that Couldn't Roll, Patrick Picklebottom, and the Penny Book.  

Michael Rex is an author and illustrator who has written over thirty books for children, including the number-one bestseller Goodnight Goon and the Fangbone! series. He also illustrated With Any Luck, I’ll Drive a Truck (by David Friend). 

Chris Eliopoulos worked as a letterer for Marvel and DC Comics and has also written and drawn some Star Wars stories. He illustrates for the award-winning Ordinary People Change the World series.  Mr. Eliopoulos wrote and illustrated his own graphic novels Cosmic Commandos and Monster Mayhem.  His books are available to purchase and will be signed and personalized.  

Dan Gutman spent his childhood in New Jersey. He attended Rutgers University and received a psychology degree. While attending graduate school Dan decided to try writing. He wrote his first children’s book when his son Sam was two years old. Today Dan Gutman is one of the most popular children’s authors in the United States. He has written numerous books including the My Weird School series and The Baseball Card Adventures series.  

Michael Patrick O'Neill is the author and award-winning photographer of seven educational books about ocean life. He has a passion for marine animals and habitats, and we are very excited to have him share his experiences with our students.

Mark Shulman was a camp counselor, a radio announcer, a New York City tour guide, and an advertising creative director before he became an author.  He has written over a hundred fiction and non-fiction books for children and young adults.  Some books that he has written include Mom and Dad Are Palindromes,  Are You "Normal"?,  Stella the Star,  Super Storms That Rocked the World, and many others.  

Herman Parish was in the fourth grade when his aunt, Peggy Parish, wrote the first book about Amelia Bedelia.  Herman has added sixteen books about the grown-up Amelia Bedelia and five picture books about Amelia Bedelia as a young girl.  He has also written four Level-1 I Can Read books about the young Amelia Bedelia, as well as several chapter books in the newly launched series. 

Mr. Grabenstein is the author of the New York Times bestseller ESCAPE FROM MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY and the co-author (with James Patterson) of the #1 Bestsellers I FUNNY, I EVEN FUNNIER, and TREASURE HUNTERS.

David Greenberg was born in Brooklyn, NY.  David has written poetry picture books which include Slugs, Bugs!, Skunks!, Snakes!, Whatever Happened to Humpty Dumpty?, and Enchanted Lions, among many.  

Nancy Krulik is the author of more than 100 books for children and young adults, including three New York Times bestsellers.  Ms. Krulik is the creator of the Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo book series, George Brown, Class Clown, Jack Gets a Clue, Appleville Elementary, Magic Bone, and How I Survived Middle School. 

Douglas Florian, author & illustrator, has written and illustrated over 50 books.  Using humor and audience participation to generate excitement and understanding, Mr. Florian took students through the entire process of creating a book. He discussed where he gets his ideas and the importance of research and also enthusiastically recited poems from his books!

Illustrator and author Betsey Lewin's school visit “Thinking in Pictures” took students through her world of picture book illustration.  Students watched her characters come alive as she created them with pen and paper.

Michael Dooling is an author & illustrator of over 50 historical fiction books. Mr. Dooling’s school visit took students through the whole process of illustrating a picture book.  His interactive presentation taught students how to tell a story through a picture, the process of creating a book, and the relationship between the text and the art.  

Jane Lovascio is the author of the Casey and Bella book series. Ms. Lovascio’s interactive and fun presentations for the younger children include a slideshow book reading, story discussion, and then a slideshow of the real characters, Casey and Bella.  For older students, her presentation focused on the writing and publishing process.

Sarah Weeks is an author of over forty picture books and novels for children and young adults. Ms. Weeks has written two four-book series of humorous middle-grade fiction, Regular Guy and Boyds Will be Boyds.  Some of her popular picture books include Mrs. McNosh Hangs up Her Wash, If I Were a Lion, and Without You.  She has also written a number of I CAN READ titles, including the popular Pip Squeak series and her newest contribution, Macaroni and Cheese.

Daniel Kirk is an author and illustrator of over twenty-five picture books. Mr. Kirk has a lot of experience in creative thinking, writing, editing, sketching, and illustrating. He loves sharing his work and professional experience with children and looks forward to school visits.  Mr. Kirk’s presentation included a slideshow documenting the creation of two of his recent books from the idea and sketch phase to the finished product.  Mr. Kirk provided some information about his life as a working author and artist.  Mr. Kirk also interacted with the children by playing the guitar, singing a song, and leading a drawing game.  He encouraged the children to create characters as inspiration for the development of their own stories.  

Margie Palatini, author of over two dozen celebrated and award-winning funny picture books. Ms. Palatini enjoys having the opportunity to meet children during school visits.   Ms. Palatini’s presentation was fun and interactive, with the goal of the day being to inspire creativity in the language, visual and dramatic arts.  

Tim Jacobus is an artist who was the main illustrator of the Goosebumps books from 1992 - 2000. He is best known for his work on the original series, where he painted sixty of the sixty-two original covers. Many of his Goosebumps covers were created using traditional painting techniques. In recent years, Jacobus has begun using computers to create digital art.