Books in Spotlight on Children's Authors series

This biography introduces readers to Grace Lin, the Newbery Honor winning author who wrote Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, The Ugly Vegetables, The Year of the Dog, The Year of the Rat, Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same, and other titles. Readers will learn about Lin's early reading experiences, the influence of her Chinese heritage, her work as an illustrator, the death of her first husband and their work on the cancer charity project Robert's Snowflakes, and the inspiration for her award-winning young readers and picture books. Easy-to-read text and full-color photos highlight Lin's childhood, family, education, and life as an author and illustrator. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

The biography of American children's author Mary Pope Osborne uses easy-to-read text and full-color photos to introduce her childhood, education, writing process, work with children, world travels, and other inspirations. Her works include picture books, adapted myths and fairy tales, young readers novels, nonfiction such as One World, Many Religions, and the highly successful Magic Tree House series and its research guides. A glossary of keywords and an index supplement the text.

This biography introduces readers to the five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, Walter Dean Myers. Readers will learn about Myers's childhood in Harlem, his difficulty in school with a speech impediment, and the inspiration behind his award-winning titles. His books include Monster, Scorpions, and Fallen Angels. Easy-to-read text and full-color photos highlight Myers's childhood, education, and life as an author. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

This biography introduces readers to Cynthia Rylant, the Newbery Medal winning American author of When I was Young in the Mountains, Missing May, A Fine White Dust, The Relatives Came, and the Henry and Mudge and series. Readers will learn about Rylant's childhood in West Virginia's Appalachian Mountains, her early separation from her parents, and their affect on her life and work. Rylant's autobiographies But I'll Be Back Again and Best Wishes are also introduced. Easy-to-read text and full-color photos highlight Rylant's childhood, education, and early influences. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

This biography introduces readers to David Shannon, author and illustrator of Caldecott Honor Book No, David! others in the David series, A Bad Case of Stripes, and How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball, and illustrator of The Rough-Face Girl, The Ballad of the Pirate Queens, and Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series. Readers will learn about Shannon's childhood in Washington, DC, and Spokane, Washington, his early interest in drawing, his study of editorial illustration, his start in children's book illustration, his success with the David series, and his process as an illustrator. Easy-to-read text and full-color photos highlight Shannon's childhood, family, education, and life as an author and illustrator. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

This biography of British children's author Roald Dahl introduces his childhood in Wales and England, the boarding school education that inspired the book Boy, his world travels, and his experience in World War II. Full-color photos, a glossary, and an index highlight Dahl's major works, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and The Witches, as well as his writing process, experience as a screenwriter, and family life.

This biography introduces readers to Pam Muñoz Ryan, the Pura Belpré medal winning American author of Esperanza Rising, Becoming Naomi León, and Paint the Wind. Readers will learn about Ryan's childhood in central California, the influence of her Mexican grandmother, and her commitment to telling the stories of strong female characters overcoming hardship. Easy-to-read text and full-color photos highlight Ryan's childhood, education, and early influences. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

This biography of children's author Margaret Wise Brown presents her childhood, education, career, world travels, and life in the United States. The book discusses her major works such as Goodnight Moon, The Runaway Bunny, and The Important Book, as well as other publications and her work as an educator. Full-color photos, a glossary, and an index supplement the text.

This biography introduces readers to J.R.R Tolkien, the British author who wrote The Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy which includes The Two Towers, The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Return of the King. Readers will learn about Tolkien's journey from his birthplace in South Africa to England, where he developed an interest in philology and ancient languages, and his career as a professor at Oxford University. Easy-to-read text and full-color and historic black and white photos highlight Tolkien's childhood, education, and early influences. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.

This biography introduces readers to Alvin Schwartz, the successful author of three volumes of Scary Stories books, I Can Read series, and Witcracks. Readers will learn about Schwartz's childhood in New York, his love of folklore, his switch to young adult fiction, and the success and controversy that have accompanied the publication of his books. Easy-to-read text and full-color photos highlight Schwartz's childhood, education, and life as an author. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.