Calling All Monster Readers!
Meet the Author presents a spectacular year of books, fun, and visits by some of the most respected children’s book authors and illustrators working today.
The 2022 schedule includes personal appearances by C.G. Esperanza (K-1), Laura Tucker (4-5), Micol Ostow (2-3), Areli Morales (2-3), Mika Song (K-1), as well as an exclusive online event with Karla Valenti (4-5).
For more info, please email: meettheauthor@ps118pta.
In April 2020, our Meet the Author program went fully digital for the first time. Brendan Wenzel, winner of the 2017 Caldecott Honor for They All Saw a Cat, provided a behind-the-scenes look at his newest book A Stone Sat Still in advance of his visit and demonstrated his amazing drawing skills during our live chat. He took recommendations from an audience of more than 60 students and drew more than 20 animals on a single sheet of paper during a speed round, including a panda, a sloth, a giraffe, and a unicorn!
Our online events continued throughout the 2020-2021 school year, with appearances by Elisha Cooper, Jacqueline Woodson, Sophie Escabasse, Daniel José Older, and Zetta Elliott.
Over the years, our Meet the Author guests have included the following talented writers and illustrators:
2013-2014 – all grades (Pre-K/K)
Selina Alko
Tad Hills
Melanie Hope Greenberg
Julie Markes
2014-2015 – all grades (Pre-K/K/1)
Sergio Ruzzier
Fiona Robinson
Kam Mak
Brian Pinkney
2015-2016
Pre-K/K – Stephen Savage
Pre-K/K – Melissa Iwai
1/2 grade – Kate Hosford
1/2 grade – Matt de la Pena
2016-2017
Pre-K – Doreen Cronin
Pre-K – Nina Crews
K/1 – Selina Alko & Sean Qualls
K/1 – Matthew Burgess
2/3 grade – George O’Connor
John Bemelmans Marciano & Sophie Blackall (special event at MS51 – all grades)
2017-2018
Pre-K – Stephen Savage
Pre-K – Ruth Chan
K/1 – Anica Mrose Rissi
K/1 – Kevin McKloskey
2/3 grade – Lisabeth Kaiser
2/3/4 grade – Michael Hearst
4th grade – Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
2018-2019
Pre-K/K – Rowboat Watkins
Pre-K/K – Jessica Love
K/1 – Misa Saburi
1/2 grade – Kelly Starling Lyons
2/3 grade – Yona Zeldis McDonough
2/3 grade – Nicole Kear
4/5 grade – Brigit Young
4/5 grade – Rita Williams-Garcia
2019-2020
K/1 – Katie Yamazaki
Pre-K/K/1 – Brendan Wenzel (first online visit via Zoom)
2/3 grade – Julie Leung
2/3 grade – Angela Dominguez
4/5 grade – Nicole Panteleakos
4/5 grade – Jerry Craft
2020-2021 (all virtual visits via Zoom)
K/1 grade – Elisha Cooper – River
K/1 grade – Vanessa Brantley-Newton – Just Like Me
2/3 grade – Sophie Escabasse – Witches of Brooklyn
2/3 grade – Zetta Elliott – A Place Inside of Me and Dragons in a Bag
4/5 grade – Jacqueline Woodson – Harbor Me and Before the Ever After
4/5 grade – Daniel José Older – The Dactyl Hill Gang series