Forts by Katie Venit and Kenard Pak

Katie Venit is a children’s author who writes children’s books filled with wonder, humor, and a deep respect for the emotional power of language. Her titles include nationally bestselling picture book Forts (which received a Kirkus starred review, was included in the Kids’ Indie Next List), and Cassini's Mission: A Spacecraft, a Tiny Moon, and the Search for Life Beyond Earth. Her nonfiction essays have appeared in Literary Mama and Wisconsin Public Radio’s Wisconsin Life.

When not writing, Katie works as an instructional designer for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She bakes too many macarons for her own good and serves on the advisory board of the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, children, and the dog they all adore.

Kenard Pak is an award-winning children’s picture book illustrator and author. Pak is known for the expressive and dreamlike quality of his watercolors that often feature the wonders of the natural world. His most recent picture book is Cat Wishes by Calista Brill. The Fog, by Kyo Maclear, was listed among Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Books of 2017. He is also working, as both author and illustrator, on the third in a series of books about the seasons: the first two are Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn and Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter, which won the 2018 SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Illustration. Pak lives and works in San Francisco.