About Us

JULIE LARIOS  likes poems which ask questions, invite wonder and turn language on its head, whether those poems are written for children or for adults. Recently named to the Advisory Board of Poetry Advocates for Children and Young Adults, she teaches in the MFA-Writing for Children program at Vermont College of Fine Arts but lives in Seattle with her husband and a slightly dotty  cockatiel.  Of her four poetry books for children, two  (Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary and Imaginary Menagerie: A Book of Curious Creatures)  were illustrated by fellow Books Around the Table contributor Julie Paschkis. www.julielarios.blogspot.com

JULIE PASCHKIS is a painter and an award winning illustrator of more than 15 books for children. These picture books include folk tales, poetry and biography. She has been exhibiting her paintings for more than 20 years, experimenting with different media and technique. You can see a love of pattern and folk art in all of her work. Recently she has been designing fabric and table top designs. She loves making things: paintings, books, designs, patterns, bread and soup. You can see more of her art at www.juliepaschkis.com.

MARGARET CHODOS-IRVINE comes from a long line of craftspeople, so she approaches her work as if tailoring a suit or cobbling a shoe. It all has to fit and look beautiful at the same time. To do so, she uses a variety of techniques to create innovative patterns, vivid colors, and uniquely textured imagery in her work. She has illustrated 13 books for children and has been recognized with starred reviews and other honors, most notably a 2004 Caldecott Honor Award for ELLA SARAH GETS DRESSED, which she both wrote and illustrated. Margaret is currently living in the Seattle. www.chodos-irvine.com

LAURA KVASNOSKY says, “I love the world of story that you enter when reading and writing. As a child, I made up stories for my younger sibs. I’m a dedicated bookworm. I relished writing features during my stint as a reporter. I loved reading to my kids when they were little. Crafting a story is my way to make sense out of life.” Laura has written and/or illustrated 17 picture books and a middle grade novel, including a six-book series about the fox sisters, Zelda and Ivy, one of which won the ALA’s Geisel award. She teaches intermittently at Vermont College of Fine Arts, and lives in Seattle with her husband, John, and sweet dog, Izzi. www.LMKBooks.com

BONNY BECKER is author of the best-selling Mouse and Bear books, including A Visitor for Bear, New York Times bestseller, winner of the E.B. White Read Aloud Award and Amazon’s Picture Book of the Year. Her latest in the series is A Library Book for Bear,  September 2014. Her middle-grade novel, The Magical Ms. Plum won the 2010 Washington State Children’s Book Award. In all, she’s published 12 books for children. She is also an instructor for the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts, an accredited program for a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing. www.bonnybecker.com

ANN DALTON is a retired children’s librarian who worked at The Seattle Public Library for nearly 30 years. Though not a writer of children’s books herself, she has read, reviewed, used, and mused about books for young people for a long time. A favorite memory from library school 40+ years ago, and the all-important connection to this group of artists, is toting picture books by the dozen to Laura K.’s house to hone her instincts for the ‘good’ ones on Laura’s kids, Tim and Noelle. “I’m tickled by this invitation to open my eyes and ears for the look and sound of what’s new in picture books. I look forward to reconnecting with old favorites that still pass muster and can be found on library shelves today. I imagine creating posts much like I put together story times back in the day…with a feeling, an event, an observation, and then a search for what’s out there to enlarge upon it…cast a wide net and see what comes up!”