BRUCE DEGEN

I went to a special high school for art, LaGuardia High School — you had to take a test to go there. I went to Cooper Union and got a bachelor's degree in art, and then I went to the Pratt Institute and got a Master of Fine Arts.

I've worked in a lot of art fields. I worked in advertising; I painted scenery for the opera; I was a painter and printmaker; I even taught art in high school and college. But I got to a point where I decided there was something missing — and what was missing was humor! When I was a kid, all the work that I did was funny. And I realized that the kind of art I always loved to draw was the kind you find in children's books. So I did something I had never gone to school for - I became an illustrator.

The nice thing about books is that they go out into the world. When a kid, parent, or teacher tells you how much he or she likes your book, you realize that you've given something that has become part of someone else's life.

BARRY DENENBERG

I was born on September 22, 1946 in Brooklyn, New York. After that, I lived in Long Island, Binghamton, N.Y, and Palisades Park, New Jersey.

In 1966 I attended Boston University, majoring in history. I worked part-time and than full time in a number of bookstores, books being my first love. I became the buyer and general manager of The Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge, Massachusetts and then went on to work at Paperback Booksmith, B Dalton Bookseller, Bantam and Barnes and Noble. In 1986, I was fired from Barnes and Noble and realized that I had hated working in business and that I wanted to write – my second love. I did various odd writing jobs, including the copy for a book review that was aired on national public radio and was given my first break by Jean Feiwel, which is how I got to where I am today.

I am married and have a twelve year old daughter named Emma. Besides researching and writing my books my interests are listening to classical and jazz, other reading, working out (I am a black belt in Seido Karate); being with my family; going to Nantucket and simply hanging around my house."

BABA WAGUE DIAKITE

Baba Wague Diakite was born in Mali, West Africa, in 1961, and named "Wague," or "Man of Trust," after his maternal grandfather. He spent his early childhood in the small village of Kassaro, where he helped in his grandmother's peanut and rice fields, tended his uncle's sheep, and spent time with his friends hunting, catching, or watching animals in the bush. He later joined his mother in Bamako, where he began his formal education in a French school. Though Diakite was always artistically inclined, he didn't begin the ceramic work for which he is known until after he moved to the United States in 1985.

Since then, his work has been shown in group and solo shows in New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Houston, and Portland, Oregon. He has been commissioned to create poster designs for a number of Portland arts festivals, and has taught in the Oregon school system through the Art-in-Education program. Diakite's artistry, combined with his talent for storytelling — well appreciated by the students whose schools he visits — made him a natural for the field of children's books, and his first picture book, a retelling of one of his grandmother's fables called The Hunterman and the Crocodile, was named a Coretta Scott King Honor Book.

Diakite, his wife, and their two children divide their time between two homes: Portland, Oregon, and Bamako, Mali.

LEO & DIANE DILLON

Among the most talented illustrators in the United States, the Dillons have two major messages they want to convey. The first is that all people, whatever their culture or race, experience the same things. The second is that "art inspires, lifts our spirits, and brings beauty to our lives." Their work has twice been awarded the Caldecott Medal - for Ashanti to Zulu and Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears.

These gifted artists met at New York City's Parsons School of Design, and what began as a competitive friendship evolved into collaboration - and a marriage - that's lasted more than 42 years. The Dillons live in Brooklyn and have a grown son.

RODDY DOYLE

Booker Prize-winner and international bestseller Roddy Doyle self-published his first novel, The Commitments. The story about an amateur rock band was a huge success and became a hit movie. His books, including Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha and A Star Called Henry, have won awards and topped bestseller lists worldwide. He's been praised by critics for his sense of humor, depth, and down-to-earth style.

Raised in Dublin, Doyle taught English and geography at his boyhood grammar school for 14 years. His own children are a great source of inspiration for his hilarious entrée into children's books. Doyle lives in Dublin with his wife and three children.

For more information about Roddy Doyle visit: www.emory.edu/ENGLISH/Bahri/Doyle.html

NANCY FARMER

As a child, Nancy Farmer believed writing was an unappealing profession, an opinion that would change in her adult years. "While I was reading a novel, the feeling came over me that I could create the same kind of thing. I sat down almost in a trance and produced a short story," recalls Farmer. "Since that time I have been absolutely possessed with the desire to write."

Farmer has earned a host of prestigious awards for her writing, including two Newberry Honors. She lives in California with her husband, Harold.

AIMEE FRIEDMAN

Aimee Friedman is the New York Times bestselling author of the teen novel South Beach as well as its sequel, French Kiss, and the romantic comedy A Novel Idea. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Aimee attended the Bronx High School of Science and Vassar College. She now lives in New York City, where she works as a children’s book editor and spends more time than she should shopping for shoes. Aimee’s forthcoming graphic novel, Breaking Up: A Fashion High Graphic Novel, will be out next summer.

NATASHA FRIEND

Natasha Friend's first novel, Perfect, was the winner of the Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature and a prestigious Book Sense Pick. Before becoming a full-time writer, Natasha was a middle-school teacher and a camp director.

She now lives outside Boston with her husband and two children. To find out more about Natasha, check out http://www.natashafriend.com

MELVIN & GILDA GERGER

Melvin Berger was born in Brooklyn, NY, on August 23, 1927. He attended City College of New York, earned a B.M. from Eastman School of Music, holds an M.A. from Columbia University, and earned an associate degree from the University of London. Before becoming a freelance writer and musician (he is a professional violist), Berger was a lecturer in music and a music teacher. He lives in East Hampton, NY, with his wife, author Gilda Berger. They have two daughters, Eleanor and Nancy.

Gilda Berger was born on June 30, 1935, in New York City. She earned her B.S. and M.S. in education, in 1955 and 1956 respectively, from City College. She married author Melvin Berger the following year and raised their two daughters, Eleanor Ruth and Nancy Beth. Gilda worked for many years as a teacher of children with special needs. When her husband accepted a publishing company's request for him to write children's books, Gilda helped him with the task, and thus began their lifelong family career.

PAUL GOBLE

Paul Goble's lifelong fascination with the spirituality and culture of Native Americans of the plains began during his childhood. "I have seen and learned many wonderful things from Indian people, which most people would never have the opportunity to experience," says Goble, who spends considerable time researching their ancient myths and customs to make them real to his young readers. His work conveys his profound belief in the interrelationships of all living beings.

A Caldecott Award-winner, Goble lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with his wife, Janet, and son, Robert.

DIANE GOODE

For Diane Goode, an author/illustrator's work is never done. "Sometimes I get ideas in the middle of the night, and I write them down, even in the dark. I also draw things - like a little character might come into my head," she explains. To inspire her future work, Goode also keeps a large cabinet filled with her drawings.

Goode lives in Watchung, New Jersey, with her husband and their two dogs.

KEITH GRAVES

Texan Keith Graves is an artist, writer, and self-described friend to armadillos everywhere (witness Armadillo Tattletale).

Texas Monthly described his world as "a strange one, where monsters' brains spill out onto the floor and children are abducted by aliens. But that doesn't put off his young readers." Indeed not; they adore his monsters - especially Frank (in Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance). He's not exactly a person but is made out of parts of them and simply loves to dance. In reviewing the book, The Horn Book wrote, "The madcap verse is appealing and the illustrations exhibit great skill with color and composition."

In comparing the seriously zany Uncle Blubbafink's Seriously Ridiculous Stories, Publishers Weekly observed that Graves employed the "same outrageous humor…for this nutty volume." Graves lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Nancy, and twins Max and Emma. For more information about Keith Graves, visit: www.keithgravesart.com

VIRGINIA HAMILTON

The recipient of nearly every major award and honor in her field - including the Newbery Medal and a MacArthur "Genius" Grant - Hamilton was America's most honored writer of books for children. Of her storytelling roots, Hamilton recalled that her mother "could take a slice of fiction floating around in the family and polish it into a saga."

Another inspiration for her archetypal writing was her native state, Ohio. "I love imagining all different kinds of people who have passed through that land - my mother and her family, her mother and family, and the Native Americans who lived there before us. It's a wonderful feeling of community." Hamilton lived in Ohio with her husband, poet Arnold Adoff. For more information about Virginia Hamilton, visit: www.virginiahamilton.com

BRETT HELQUIST

Shortly after graduation from Brigham Young University, Brett moved to New York City and found work making type corrections at advertising agencies. This experience enabled him to learn more about design and he progressed into better jobs. He went on to illustrate for publications such as Cricket magazine and The New York Times.

Brett had been working with Cricket for about six years and he wanted to make the move to illustrating children's books. His agent began to show his work to various publishers and he was chosen to be the illustrator for the New York Times best-selling Series of Unfortunate Events. Milly and The Macy's Parade, written by Shana Corey, is his first picture book. It received an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. While he was growing up, Brett and his sisters always watched the Macy's Parade on television. "There was such a remarkable contrast between the vast desert around me and the excitement in the streets of New York City," he remembers. "Those magical balloons made New York seem like a magical place." Brett received most of his research material from the Macy's archives, which helped him faithfully replicate countless details from the first parade.

Brett currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife. He is also the illustrator of Milly and the Macy's Parade, written by Shana Corey and Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balliet, published in fall 2003 by Scholastic Press. He is currently working on illustrations for Balliet's second Scholastic novel, Chasing Light.

YUMI HEO

Artist/author Yumi Heo was born and raised in Korea, where she studied graphic design. She came to New York City in 1989, completed her education, and began her love affair with children's literature.

Heo's books are filled with images, ideas, and characters both eclectic and electric (even "magnificently eccentric" according to Kirkus Reviews). From realistic stories, to alphabetical geography, to Korean folktale adaptations, they're known for their nonhuman characters - tigers with dark shadowed eyes, rabbits with overlong antennae-like ears, and a turtle with a shell like the decorative half of a planet. Yumi Heo lives in White Plains, New York.

KAREN HESSE

Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. "From the time I was 10, I thought of myself as 'good with words' thanks to a perceptive and supportive fifth-grade teacher. Mrs. Datnoff believed I could be a professional writer someday, and because she believed, I believed, too. Though I gave up all my other career dreams, I never gave up dreaming of publication. It took more than 30 years to see that fifth-grade dream come true. I don't know whether that makes me extremely patient or just plain stubborn."

Adults often ask her why she writes for the younger set. Her reply: "I can't think of anyone I'd rather write for."

SID HITE

Sid grew up in a family of seven in the small town of Bowling Green, Virginia. Sid says that when he was young he "had more energy than brains." And further states that he "[wishes] it was still that way."

Sid discovered his passion for novels in his teenage years and decided right then and there to become a fiction writer. He says that he is grateful now that he didn't know how much work was involved in being a writer then.

After high school he traveled for several years through more than twenty countries. Upon returning to the U.S., he worked at several jobs, including farming, bartending, and construction, before his first novel was published. He feels that writing for a living is a privilege.

Sid was named a Publisher's Weekly "Flying Start" for his first novel, Dither Farm. He also is the winner of the 2000 New York Public Library Best Book for Teen Age Children, and Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children.
He currently lives in upstate New York.