Rochelle Strauss is on a mission to change the world – one book at a time!#As an environmental educator and bestselling children’s author, Rochelle is dedicated to building environmental literacy and inspiring people to become active stewards of our planet. She uses compelling storytelling to bring complex environmental issues to life, helping young people better understand the natural world and empowering them to make a positive impact.#Rochelle’s children’s books have won several awards and have been published internationally, translated globally and incorporated into curriculum in the US. The Global Ocean (Kids Can Press, 2022) is a UNESCO endorsed Ocean Decade Activity, and One Well: The Story of Water on Earth (Kids Can Press 2007) was selected as part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Book Club in support of SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation. One Well has sold over half a million copies internationally. Rochelle has two new books arriving in 2026.#Rochelle and her partner live in Toronto, Canada, on the Traditional Territory of the Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Anishinaabeg and the Treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit. Rochelle is happiest when she is in, on or by the ocean.

Susan Hood is the author of more than 200 children’s books, including Tickly Toes, The Tooth Mouse (winner of ReadBoston’s 2013 Best Read Aloud Book Award) and a series of ten Pup and Hound beginning readers for Kids Can Press.~ ~Before becoming a full-time author, Susan was the Children’s Content Director for Nick Jr. Magazine and a book editor at Sesame Street and Scholastic. She has written for parents in the New York Times, Working Mother magazine and more.~ ~When not writing, Susan enjoys sailing with her husband from her home in Southport, Connecticut, to ports along the New England coast. Many ideas for new books come from those days sailing the ocean blue. Six more picture books are in the works!

Surrounded by shipyards, marinas and fog in the port city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Jessica became fascinated by the rich history of her province while traveling up and down the coastline aboard her family’s boat and visiting museums in fishing communities along the way. There was one artifact in particular that recently caught her attention. It featured an arrangement of lobster claws glued to a plaque, surrounded by a rope frame, and must have been made by a former cannery worker. Jessica loved the idea of someone making artwork from modest materials in less-than-ideal conditions.#When asked what sparked her interest in giant lobsters, she noted that when fishermen came across them from time to time, the rare occurrence always captured the public’s attention. These huge crustaceans are not particularly attractive creatures, nor are they endangered, and yet they command a considerable amount of respect, given their extremely advanced age. In fact, the largest lobster ever caught was off Nova Scotia’s coast back in 1977. It weighed 44 pounds and was possibly as old as 100 years!#Jessica recognizes that featuring a giant lobster is unusual in the world of children’s literature. However, she’s quite fond of lobsters. Her husband makes delicious lobster bisque.#Considered an expert on what boys read, Jessica is best known for her award-winning and highly acclaimed eight-book series for boys called “Martin Bridge.” Having sold over 140,000 copies to date, these chapter books were inspired by the adventures of her husband and son.

Donna O’Meara has been hunting and photographing the world’s most dangerous volcanoes for almost 20 years. Many of her photographs have appeared in National Geographic.