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Beyond the bestsellers and brand names, PW has scanned the author list for some children's favorites, sleeper choices, and critic's picks well worth seeking out. Please refer to the official conference program for exact details and times, as they may change. Also, note that some authors are making multiple appearances, some with different publishers.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25
9–10 a.m.: Katherine Paterson. In Brother Sun, Sister Moon (Chronicle Books, booth 1016), Paterson, the current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, reimagines a hymn of praise originally written by St. Francis of Assisi, which dates to the 1220s. PW says, "Paterson does a fine job of making the canticle more catholic than Catholic, while maintaining a traditional tone and hewing to the structure of the original, which appears at book's end."

9:30–10:30 a.m.: Vanita Oelschlager. Bonyo Bonyo: The Story of a Brave Boy from Kenya (VanitaBooks, booth 1342) is a true story based on the life of Dr. Bonyo Bonyo that looks at how a Kenyan boy's courage and determination, along with critical support from family and strangers, helped him to live his dream of becoming a physician. VanitaBooks donates all net profits to the Oak Clinic for Multiple Sclerosis and other charities where "people help people help themselves."

10–11 a.m.: Maya Soetoro-Ng. President Obama's half-sister says Ladder to the Moon (Candlewick Press, booth 1023), her first picture book, was inspired by her young daughter Suhaila's questions about her grandmother, Ann Dunham. PW's starred review declares, "Nontraditional spiritual literature for children often falters in the execution; this work fulfills its promise."

10–11 a.m.: Grace Lin. In reviewing Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! (Little, Brown BFYR, booth 1129), PW opines, "Twins will find endearing advocates in Ling and Ting, Chinese-American twins who good-naturedly defy people's assumptions that they are interchangeable... challenging the reader to look beyond exteriors."

11 a.m.–noon: Alice LaPlante. PW's starred review calls Turn of the Mind (Grove/Atlantic, booth 1248) "an impressive first novel.... Mystery fans should be prepared for a subtle literary novel in which the unfolding of Jennifer's condition and of her past matters far more than the whodunit."

Noon–1 p.m.: Nikki Grimes. Grimes's Planet Middle School (Bloomsbury, booth 1123) is a book of short poems that capture the crazy feelings of adolescence and first crushes. A Girl Named Mister (Zondervan, booth 1322) is one of many of Grimes's 50-plus books cited as a Notable Book by the ALA.

Noon–1 p.m.: Andrea Davis Pinkney. In Bird in a Box (Little, Brown BFYR, booth 1129), youngsters Otis, Willie, and Hibernia are like their hero, boxer Joe Louis, as he fights to become the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion. Pinkney enhances the story by incorporating actual radio commentary from Louis's fights.

Noon–1 p.m.: Donna Jo Napoli. Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters (National Geographic Society, booth 1234) includes a family tree, a "cast of characters" profile page, a mapping feature, and resource notes to bring historical details to life for young readers. Napoli will also be supporting The Crossing (Simon & Schuster, booth TBA), a story told from the point of view of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the baby on Sacagawea's back. PW finds it "[a] refreshing new angle on a familiar story of American history." A number of Napoli's novels have been selected as ALA Best Books.

Noon–1 p.m.: Orson Scott Card. PW finds the bestseller The Lost Gate (Tor/Forge, booth 1122) "well crafted, highly detailed, and pleasantly accessible," and Pathfinder (Simon & Schuster, booth TBA) a "fascinatingly complex series opener."

2–3 p.m.: Chris Raschka. In Fortune Cookies (S&S), illustrated by Raschka's trademark loose watercolors, a child describes how a week's events are linked to seven fortune cookie fortunes, which readers can pull from the cookies via a tab. This is the first book by author A. Bitterman, who is actually Pete Cowdin, owner of the Kansas City, Mo., independent children's bookstore Reading Reptile. Raschka will also appear on Sunday, 1–2 p.m., in support of Seriously, Norman! (Scholastic, booth 1439), his fiction debut.

2–3 p.m.: Keith Graves. The Orphan of Awkward Falls (Chronicle Books, booth 1016) is Graves's first novel, pubbing in September, inspired by his own 13-year-old twins, classic tales of Frankenstein and mad scientists, and contemporary technology—with a clever and unique heroine.

3–4 p.m.: Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon. About Zora and Me (Candlewick, booth 1023), PW notes that debut authors Bond and Simon "do their subject proud, spinning a tale about the childhood of writer Zora Neale Hurston... the authors adeptly evoke a racially fraught era and formative events, whether they're true or true enough, in Hurston's youth."

3–4 p.m.: Andrea Davis Pinkney. Dear America: With the Might of Angels (Scholastic, booth 1439) is part of the Dear America diary series; this September title focuses on the civil rights movement through a child's eyes. PW says, "More than a supplement to classroom textbooks, this series is an imaginative, solid entree into American history."

SUNDAY, JUNE 26
9–10 a.m.: Jon Scieszka. Guys Read: Thriller (HarperCollins Children's Books), pubbing in September, is part of Scieszka's Guys Read Library of Great Reading series. "The entire collection will be the answer to the question, ‘What will help get my guy reading?' " Scieszka promises on his Web site. It includes original stories by Anthony Horowitz, Walter Dean Myers, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Matt de la Peña, Jarrett Krosoczka, Bruce Hale, James Patterson, Gennifer Choldenko, Patrick Carman, and M.T. Anderson.

9–10 a.m.: Bryan Collier is the illustrator behind Dave the Potter (Little, Brown BFYR, booth 1129), which captures the story of Dave, a South Carolina slave in the 1800s who made amazing pottery into which he carved simple but profound poetry. In New York City, Collier directs mural programs for children who want to paint.
 
9–10 a.m.: Mordicai Gerstein. Dear Hot Dog (Abrams BFYR/Amulet Books, booth 1427), pubbing in August, follows three friends from the time they wake up and brush their teeth to when they snuggle up for bed with their favorite stuffed animal. Also on Sunday, 2:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m., Gerstein will support The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, booth TBA), which chronicles Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk between Manhattan's World Trade Center towers. PW declares, "Gerstein's dramatic paintings include some perspectives bound to take any reader's breath away.

9:30–10:30 a.m.: Mo Willems. Should I Share My Ice Cream? (Disney/Hyperion, booth 1158) is the latest title in the Elephant and Piggie series. Also, on Sunday, 1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m., Willems will support Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator (HarperCollins Children's Books, booth TBA). PW's starred review calls it an "expertly paced page-turner about a girl and her toy alligator, laced with the kid-centric humor on which Willems has built his career."

9:30–10:30 a.m.: Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers. Of We Are America: A Tribute from the Heart (HarperCollins Children's Books, booth TBA) PW's starred review promises "few will be unmoved by this stirring and provocative collaboration."

10–11 a.m.: Jan Annino. She Sang Promise: The Story of Betty Mae Jumper, Seminole Tribal Leader (National Geographic Society, booth 1234) is the true story of a storyteller, journalist, and community activist, one of modern America's first female elected Seminole tribal leaders.

10:30–11 a.m.: Duncan Tonatiuh. The Mexican-born artist behind Diego Rivera: His World and Ours (Abrams BFYR/Amulet Books, booth 1427) introduces the renowned 20th-century Mexican artist Diego Rivera to young readers and urges them to imagine what Rivera would paint if he were alive today.

10:30–11:30 a.m.: Rita Williams-Garcia. Of One Crazy Summer (HarperCollins Children's Books, booth TBA) PW notes, "Delphine's growing awareness of injustice on a personal and universal level is smoothly woven into the story in poetic language that will stimulate and move readers."

11 a.m.–noon: Bob Barner. In Animal Baths (Chronicle Books, booth 1016), author/illustrator Barner helps young readers recognize their own bath time habits through the exploration of bath time in the animal kingdom.

11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Kevin Henkes. In a starred review, PW calls Junonia (HarperCollins Children's Books, booth TBA) an "introspective story about a child's search for a rare shell," in which Henkes "displays his ability to find profound meaning in ordinary events."

1:30–2 p.m.: Robert Olen Butler. Need we say more? The Pulitzer Prize winner's A Small Hotel (Grove/Atlantic, booth 1248), pubbing in August, is the story of a failed marriage told through flashbacks on the day the couple is to be divorced.

3–3:30 p.m.: Javaka Steptoe. The illustrator of What's Special About Me, Mama? (Disney/Hyperion, booth 1158). PW comments, "Steptoe's many pictures of the boy nestled in his parents' arms reinforce the image of a family whose affection is generously given." Steptoe will also be around on Monday morning, beginning at 9 a.m., in support of Amiri and Odette (Scholastic, booth 1439) and In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers (Lee & Low, booth TBA), Steptoe's 2001 picture book debut, which PW's starred review deems a "stunning homage to fathers."

4–5 p.m.: Lauren Myracle. In Shine (Abrams BFYR/Amulet Books, booth 1427), Myracle "paints the desperate poverty and bitter divisions within Cat's mountain community well, with memorable details," notes PW. "These details and the thick mystery that Cat unfurls will keep readers engaged—and suspecting several characters, as Cat does."

MONDAY, JUNE 27
10:30–11:30 a.m.: Walter Dean Myers. PW's starred review finds Jazz (HarperCollins Children's Books, booth TBA) "a scintillating paean to jazz. A cogent introduction, selective glossary and chronology round out this mesmerizing verbal and visual riff on a uniquely American art form."

1–2 p.m.: Eric Velasquez. Grandma's Gift (Walker, booth 1123), the story of a Christmas holiday that young Eric spends with his grandmother, is a prequel to his biographical picture book, Grandma's Records.

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