Deborah Hodge is the author of thirty-five books for children. She specializes in writing engaging nonfiction for young readers and loves the challenge of using few words to explain big thoughts.#Her honours include twice winning the Children’s Literature Roundtable of Canada’s Information Book Award, winning Santa Monica Public Library’s Green Prize for Sustainable Literature and receiving the Honour Book distinction for the National Jewish Book Award for Children’s Literature. Her work has also been featured on such lists as ALA’s Top Ten Best Environmental Books for Youth and IBBY’s Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities.#Before she was an author, Deborah was a teacher and curriculum writer for the British Columbia Ministry of Education. She says, “Although I’m not teaching anymore, I still feel like I’m talking to my students whenever I write a book. I love the process of trying to create something that young readers will find interesting.”#Deborah was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and now lives with her family in Vancouver, British Columbia.#For more information, please see her website at: www.deborahhodge.com.

Etta Kaner writes for both children and educators. While the majority of her children’s books are nonfiction, some of her more recent books are a combination of fiction and nonfiction. Many of them have been translated into other languages. A number of her books have won awards, namely the Silver Birch Award, the ASPCA Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award, the Animal Behavior Society’s Outstanding Children’s Book Award, the Scientific American Young Readers Book Award and the Science in Society Book Award.#While her earlier books were inspired by her two daughters, many of her later books were inspired by the elementary school students whom she taught.#Etta loves to interview experts in fields with which she is unfamiliar, either in person or by phone. She finds that most people are very cooperative and love to talk about their area of interest and expertise. During these interviews, she often accumulates more information than she needs for her book. When making a decision as to what to include in the book, she uses the “wow” test. She tries to choose information that will make her readers say “wow” when they read it. ~ ~Writing books also allows Etta to create the many groaners that she likes to make up but which are not always appreciated by her family!#When she’s not writing or teaching, Etta loves to spend time with her family (her husband and two grown daughters), garden, read humorous or historical fiction books, dance, explore new places, go to live theater and cook for company (but not all at the same time!). She does all of these activities in Toronto, Canada.

Mary Labatt is an award-winning editor and a writer. A graduate of York University, Mary has published many educational briefs, position papers and articles on reading, the effects of poverty on learning, drug awareness, language arts, violence, the needs of adolescents and special education. Mary was the founding editor of the FWTAO Newsletter, a magazine for women teachers, that she edited for 14 years. She is also the author of a history of women teachers in Ontario, called Always a Journey. Mary has been honored for her contribution to education with the prestigious Greer award and has been made a Fellow of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation. #In addition to freelance editing, Mary teaches a week-long course every summer on how to write for children. Now that her family is older, Mary devotes the rest of her time to writing for children and raising dogs. She breeds and raises champion rough collies and Welsh Springer Spaniels, which were imported from Wales. People who read Mary’s children’s books will readily see that she loves dogs, so it is natural that she and her family live on a farm and raise dogs. In the picture Mary is shown with two of her collie mothers, Annabel and Chloe. Mary has said she is never happier than when little fat puppies are running all over the yard.#Mary’s Sam books were based on a real dog. Sam was Mary’s very eccentric, very nosy Old English Sheepdog. Sam used to stare to get her own way and she was insatiably curious. Mary took the idea and created Sam, the dog detective. If you haven’t read the Sam novels, you can meet Sam, the dog detective, in a new series of graphic novels called the Sam and Friends mysteries.#Mary lives on farm in Clear Creek, Ontario, with her husband, Larry, three dogs and two of their three children. Their other daughter just got married, so there will be room now for another dog!