Monica Brown (She/her/hers)

Monica Brown is an award-winning author of more than 30 multicultural picture books, including "Waiting for the Biblioburro," "Frida and her Animalitos," and "Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match," recently named "One of 65 Essential Children's Books" by the Atlantic. She received two Américas Awards and a Christopher Award. Her latest picture book is "Singing Justice, Singing Peace: The Story of Joan Baez," and her latest chapter books are "Lola Levine and the Dinosaur Scene" and "Lola Levine Runs Out of Steam."

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Awards: Américas Award; Christopher Award; Orbus Pictus Honor; Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos is a NYTimes/NYPL Best Illustrated Book of 2017/The Atlantic Monthly name Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match one of "65 Essential Picture Books for Children

Communities: Arizona Author, Hispanic or Latinx, Mixed Race, Person with a Disability

So You Want to Write a Picture Book?

Authors of picture books share their experiences and identify the strategies involved in writing the text for a picture book. Although picture books have a small number of words, writing brief but effective text can be difficult.

Education Room 351 (Seats 46, Wheelchair accessible)  
Sun, Mar 15, 10:00 am - 10:55 am
Children
Signing area: Signing Area - Children (following presentation)  

Panelists: Monica Brown, Deborah Marcero, Pasha Westbrook
Moderator: HeeYoung Kim

Loss and Resistance: A Call to Action

A deep sense of loss can lead to a call for action, whether that loss involves Indigenous rights to their own land, environmental destruction, or historical wrongs in residential schools. These books each depict characters who make the decision to act in response to loss.

Education Room 353 (Seats 92, Wheelchair accessible)  
Sun, Mar 15, 11:30 am - 12:25 pm
Children
Signing area: Signing Area - Children (following presentation)  

Panelists: Monica Brown, Carole Lindstrom, Yuyi Morales, David A. Robertson
Moderator: Jeanne Gilliam Fain

Books:

Singing Justice, Singing Peace

The Story of Joan Baez
Children
Beach Lane Books
February 2026
ISBN 9781665926607
48 pages
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Lola Levine and the Dinosaur Scene

Children
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
January 2026
ISBN 9780316580656
112 pages
Buy now