We are so excited to be hosting a panel discussion all about creating children literature featuring four wonderful local authors. They will be discussing all things children's lit, writing, illustrating, publishing, dreaming. 

Come with questions whether you are interested in creating children's literature yourself or just want to hear from some great authors. 

Brooke Baum is a pre-published picture book author/illustrator and a children's graphic novelist with several exciting projects in the works. She was a 2025 PB Rising Stars mentee, a 2026 Boyds Mills scholarship recipient, a current Madison Public Library Bubbler Artist-in-Residence. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband and young daughter. Find her at brookebaum.com and on Instagram at @brookepbaum.

Kevin Henkes has been praised both as a writer and as an illustrator and is the recipient of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for his lasting contribution to literature for children. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon; Caldecott Honors for Waiting and Owen; Newbery Honors for Olive’s Ocean and The Year of Billy Miller; and Geisel Honors for Waiting and Penny and Her Marble. His other books include Is It Spring?, The World and Everything in It, A House, A Parade of Elephants, Chrysanthemum, and the beloved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Henkes lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.

Lisl H. Detlefsen is the author of a growing number of picture books, including RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE (Feeding Minds Press, illust. by Renée Kurilla), STILL THERE WAS BREAD (HarperCollins, illust. by David Soman), and her latest, MY MOM IS LIKE A KITE (Groundwood, illust. by Nathalie Dion), which Kirkus Reviews called, "A breath of fresh air for those seeking to explain mental health to little ones." Her first book, TIME FOR CRANBERRIES (Macmillan, illust. by Jed Henry) was a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, and the Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom Book of the Year. She lives with her husband, two sons, and two cats in a restored farmhouse on a family-owned cranberry marsh in central Wisconsin. Visit her on the web at www.lislhdbooks.com.

Pat Zietlow Miller has published 23 picture books and has more on the way. Her first book, SOPHIE'S SQUASH, won the Golden Kite Award, an Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor, and a Charlotte Zolotow Honor. BE KIND was on the New York Times bestseller list for 10 weeks, and IN OUR GARDEN is a two-time Dolly Parton Imagination Library selection. Pat lives in Sun Prairie where she's a proud supporter of the Sun Prairie Public Library. Find her at www.patzietlowmiller.com and on Instagram at @patzmill.

Creating Children's Literature Panel