Authors & Illustrators

Normalizing physical disability can and should begin in childhood. These creators are doing just that.

Orenstein-Cardona’s debut picture book tells of a community's determination to save an ancient banyan tree damaged by Hurricane Maria.

The vice president and publisher of Greenwillow Books says, “publishing is completely unpredictable.”

The author speaks with SLJ about challenging gender roles, empowering young readers on the ace spectrum, and combating self-doubt.

From quiet books that took off to those that just gave him 'that feeling,' Neal Porter takes the lessons of legends and puts his own spin on an award-winning collection of books spanning decades. 

Serena Kaylor, who earned a star for her debut novel Long Story Short, shares her journey to publication. 

With her graphic memoir Messy Roots, Laura Gao followed an unconventional publishing path from viral tweet to indie bestseller. She illustrates her path to publication in this SLJ-original comic.

“We’re like jazz musicians in that we decide on a structure, but a lot is left up to improvisation,” says Griffin about working with Reynolds. Read more about how this SLJ starred book came together.

The ALA community was elated to be face-to-face again, talking about issues that matter to the industry. Comments made during a Unite Against Book Bans panel set off a Twitter firestorm that laid bare the emotion and complexities of the censorship discussion.