If a picture can speak a thousand words, Bruce Degen's illustrations can spark a thousand smiles. From sixth-grade, this illustrator of the wildly popular "Magic School Bus" series knew that art would be a big part of his life. In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, Degen talks about his early artistic roots, the inspirational value of fruit, and what it's like to collaborate with author Joanna Cole. To view the full version of this and other author interviews, visit us at...

Lois Lowry is the highly acclaimed author of more than 30 books for young people. Over the years, she has received numerous awards, including two Newbery Medals. Lowry has written such a wide range of books that her body of work cannot be categorized easily. Her genres range from contemporary fiction to historical fiction to fantasy to autobiographical. Her audiences range from elementary school children all the way up to young adults. Some of Lowry's books are light-hearted, but others deal...

Pam Muñoz Ryan isn't afraid of indomitable women. In fact, she's inspired by them! Just look at her 2000 Pura Belpre Medal winning book, "Esperanza Rising". In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, you'll hear how this author quickly learned the value of a public library and how she's always been surrounded by strong-spirited women, both fictional and real. To view the full version of this and other author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education...

Gail Gibbons writes the kind of non-fiction books that young children pore over. In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, Gail Gibbons discusses how she comes up with the idea for her books and the daunting task of explaining complex topics in a few pages.To view the full version of this and other author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by a grant from the U.S. Department of...

Eve Bunting is a storyteller who can't help but be spellbinding. In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, the ever-charming Eve Bunting shares her literary roots in Ireland, her feelings about coming to a new country, and what it means to write books that "heal the world." To view the full version of this and other author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by a grant from the U.S....

The author of the Goosebumps series writes books that creep kids out, and boy do they love it! More than 220 million of his books have sold worldwide, a Guinness World Record. Watch this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets and meet the scarily creative, always funny R.L. Stine. To view the full version of this and other author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by a grant from the U.S....

Jack Prelutsky likes nothing better than to make people laugh. Lucky for us! His off-kilter poems and wacky rhymes can't help but put a smile on everyone's lips. This exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets will help you understand why this writer once thought poetry was hazardous to his health.To view the full version of this and other author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by a...

Laurie Halse Anderson struggled with learning to read. Once she cracked the code, she became a voracious reader. And then discovered writing - leading to numerous picture books, middle-grade titles and award-winning teen and historical fiction, including National Book Award finalist, Speak, and National Book Award finalist, Chains. For more author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by a grant from...

Henry Cole was once a beloved teacher, so much so that decades after he left teaching to pursue an illustrating career, a parent working for Reading Rockets fondly recalled Henry Cole's influence on his own, now-grown children. In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, Henry Cole talks about his teaching background, describes the book illustration process, and sketches a new canine character. For more author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education...

Award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier began creating art at the age of 15. Using his signature style, a vibrant mix of watercolor and collage, he brings stories to life. He's already lent his talents to such books as Visiting Langston, Rosa, and his own book, Uptown. Reading Rockets sat down with the artist for an exclusive interview. For more author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by a grant...

Mem Fox is Australia's best-known children's book author. Her books are tremendously popular in the U.S. as well, and she has traveled widely as a writer, teacher, and passionate proponent of reading aloud to children. For more author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Marc Brown is the author and illustrator of Arthur, everyone's favorite aardvark. In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, Marc Brown chats about his childhood, the Arthur television shows on PBS, and his friendship with the late Mr. Rogers. For more author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Avi is the 2003 Newbery Medal award winning author of "Crispin- A Cross of Lead", and widely acclaimed for his works of historical fiction for middle grade readers. In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, Avi talks about the challenges of writing, his years as a librarian, and his symptoms of dyslexia. For more author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by a grant from the U.S....

In 2002, George Ancona received the Washington Post-Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award for work that "has contributed significantly to the quality of nonfiction for children." In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, George Ancona talks about his photo-illustrated books and how he uses photography to offer insight into the everyday lives of children from different cultures. For more author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of...

"Blink your eyes and say click!" Cam Jansen, David Adler's heroine with a photographic memory, has captured the imagination of millions of readers. The prolific Alder has also written several picture book biographies for children, bringing historical figures to literary life. In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, David Adler discusses the "Supermarket Room" of his teaching career, simple math methods, and the reason why Benjamin Franklin never wore a wig. For more author...

Janet Wong's career switch was so dramatic that she was featured on a segment of The Oprah Winfrey Show. When Wong left her job as Director of Labor Relations at Universal Studios in Hollywood, she dreamed of becoming a children's book author. Over the next two years, she took a writing class, submitted manuscripts, and piled up more than two dozen rejection letters. Through a combination of practice, persistence, and talent, Janet Wong quickly became a successful writer of poetry and picture...

Betsy Lewin, the illustrator of Click Clack Moo, takes a playful approach to her work. In this exclusive video interview with Reading Rockets, Betsy Lewin discusses her career goals as a child and the inspiration she gets from exotic trips abroad. For more author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Ashley Bryan is an eclectic artist who uses painting, poetry, music, collage, and prose to tell stories. Bryan fuses these seemingly separate art forms within his books for children. "I try not to accept walls and boundaries and definitions in a strict way," he says. "I would hope that everything I do is interrelated."Bryan is known for retelling African folktales in a distinct, rhythmic prose that is heavily influenced by African-American poetry. In 1981 his collection of Nigerian folktales,...

Kadir Nelson is a naturally gifted artist whose extraordinary talent continues to develop and be discovered. Before the age of 30, Nelson had already illustrated children's books, sold paintings to celebrities, and worked on a movie directed by Steven Spielberg. In 2007 Kadir Nelson received a Caldecott Honor for his evocative illustrations in "Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom." In 2008 he won a second Caldecott Honor for his artwork in "Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story...

Jack Gantos' interesting life has provided the raw material for many of his books. The Jack Henry middle-grade fiction series was based on Gantos' own adventures as a boy, and the award-winning Joey Pigza books resulted from Gantos' interactions with children with ADHD. For more author interviews, visit us at www.readingrockets.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Since 1994 Robert Sabuda has taken three-dimensional pop-up books to new heights. Elaborate dinosaurs leap off the page. Colorful Christmas trees rise up and blink. Knights in shining armor joust before the king and queen. The ease with which these things twist, turn, and delight readers is the result of much trial and error. Robert Sabuda is a completely self-taught pop-up book artist. Without any guidebook or mentor, Sabuda has always had to challenge himself to find out what is possible....

Brian Selznick feels that his illustrations are more authentic when he immerses himself in his subject matter. For the picture book Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride, Selznick spent six months in Washington, DC conducting research at libraries and museums. For his Caldecott-Honor-winning illustrations in The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, he traveled to London to sketch, photograph, and climb inside the famous dinosaur replicas. For his best-selling 533-page illustrated novel, The Invention...