2007 Children / Teens Participants

Listed in alphabetical order

Mary Newell DePalma

My Chair, A Grand Old Tree, and The Strange Egg - Saturday 2:00 PM

Mary Newell DePalma is the author/illustrator of a number of well-reviewed, award-winning books, most recently A Grand Old Tree, The Strange Egg, and My Chair. She shares a sense of wonder and curiosity with her young audience. Her mixed media art for her books starts with watercolors and tissue paper. As one of seven children, when growing up she loved playing outdoors. She has done a variety of jobs with her artistic talents, and has participated in both Robert's Snowflake auctions for Dana Farber. She lives in Boston with her family. Both her daughter and son are college students.

Ed Emberley

Ant Dancers and Spaghetti Mice - Saturday 9:30 AM

Ed Emberley is well known in the field of children's books. He has been the recipient of the highest awards in the field, including the Caldecott Honor Book Awards. Over the years, the New York Times has chosen Emberley books to be among its annual selections for the Best Illustrated Books of the Year, and many of his books have been selected by the American Library Association for the annual Notable Children's Book lists. But the Emberley success story is not limited to the praise of critics or to awards and honors. His work has reached schools, libraries, bookstores, and homes because Ed Emberley can turn anyone into an “artist.”

Although most people are aware of the fact that Barbara Emberley, Ed's wife, has frequently joined forces with Ed on book projects, few are aware of the part his children, Michael and Rebecca, have played. They, too, have worked on Ed's books, helping book projects move from the beginning idea to completion. Michael is now writing and publishing books of his own, and Rebecca is working on several book ideas as well.

Ed studied painting and illustration at the Massachusetts School of Art in Boston, where he met Barbara. They were married in 1955. After two years in the Army, Ed completed his formal art training at the Rhode Island School of Design. Rebecca was born in 1958 and Michael was born two years later. Barbara and Ed live in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and North Conway, New Hampshire.

Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord

Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord is a Newburyport artist whose work is in the library collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the University of Arizona, and Yale University, and has been featured in solo and group exhibitions including ones at the Center for Book Arts in New York City, the University of Indiana Art Gallery in Indianapolis, and the Target Gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Virginia. She is a member of Boston Book Arts, an organization of book artists.

Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord is the author of Multicultural Books To Make And Share, Super Pop-up Reports for American History, and Hands-On History: Middle Ages. She has been teaching bookmaking to children since 1990 and shares her knowledge and expertise through publications and information on her website, makingbooks.com.

Grace Lin

Grace Lin Reads and Draws - Saturday 11:00 AM
The Year of the Dog - Saturday 1:00 PM

Grace Lin is the author and illustrator of more than a dozen picture books, including The Ugly Vegetables and Dim Sum for Everyone! Most recently, Grace’s first children’s novel, The Year of the Dog, was published, garnering glowing praise. While most of Grace’s books are about the Asian-American experience, she believes that “Books erase bias—they make the uncommon everyday, and the mundane exotic. A book makes all cultures universal.” (See more about Grace and her work at www.gracelin.com.)

L.A. Meyer

L.A. Meyer is the author of Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy. He also has been a designer, an art teacher, and has written and illustrated two picture books. He received a master of fine arts degree from Boston University, and is currently the curator and exhibitor at the Clair de Loon Gallery near his home in Corea, Maine.

Peter Stewart

Peter Stewart and the Wonder of Words - Saturday 9:30 AM

Peter Stewart is a multi-faceted teacher, composer, author and performer. He has led people in song for over 35 years all across America. His blend of music, humor and interaction with the audience make him a much sought out speaker across the country.

Anna Vojtech

Count & Sing, Night & Day, Birds & Bees - Saturday 12:30 PM

Anna Vojtech has illustrated many books for children, including The First Strawberries, Blow Away Soon, and The Song of the Camels. She illustrated Ten Flashing Fireflies, which was awarded a Gold Medal by NPPA. Tough Beginnings was chosen by SSLI as the Best Book for Science for Children. Anna's interpretation of the nursery rhyme Over in the Meadow has been published in seven languages. Her last book is All Things Bright and Beautiful.

In her illustrations Anna combines her love for storytelling and for nature. She is also well known for her botanical paintings, which have been exhibited nationally and internationally; a collection of them was published as Wild Flowers for All Seasons.

Wade Zahares

Wade Zahares—Mapping the Journey West - Saturday 11:00 AM

The world according to Wade Zahares is often described as dreamlike and somewhat unreal. In reality, Wade lives on a small farm in southern Maine, from which the rolling hills and whimsical landscapes of his pastels emerge. Since graduating from the Maryland Institute College of Art, he has gone on to illustrate five children’s books. Window Music, his first book, was singled out by Time and the New York Times as among the best picture books of 1998. Liberty Rising was published in September 2005, and new books are on the way. His fine art is avidly sought out by a growing number of private and corporate collectors throughout the northeastern United States and beyond. Wade’s art is included in the permanent collection of the DeCordova Museum of Art in Lincoln, Massachusetts.