Charles R. Smith Jr. is an award-winning children's book author, photographer and poet with over thirty books to his credit. His awards include a Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration for his photographs accompanying the Langston Hughes poem, “My People” and a Coretta Scott King Honor Author Award for his biography on Muhammad Ali, “Twelve Rounds to Glory.” Many of his books have also garnered reluctant reader awards, proving that kids that don’t like to read, do like to read his books.

Charles combines his passions of writing and photography with a variety of subjects that spark his interest. Even though his early books such as “Rimshots”, “Hoop Kings” and “Hoop Queens focus on basketball, Charles has shown the ability to apply his talents to a variety of subjects, including diversity with “I Am America” and "I Am the World", Greek mythology with “The Mighty 12”, how slaves built the White House with "Brick by Brick" and Negro League baseball with “Stars in the Shadows” to name a few. His poetry has also been used to paint unique biographical portraits of personal heroes such as the aforementioned Ali, boxer Jack Johnson and soon, guitarist Jimi Hendrix.

Of the distinctive niche Charles fills with his books, he notes, "I want to show students, particularly boys, that there are many ways to pursue their interests, no matter what they may be."

To hear excerpts from his books and learn more about Charles R. Smith Jr, visit his website at www.charlesrsmithjr.com

Edel Rodriguez was born in Havana, Cuba in 1971. He was raised in El Gabriel, a small farm town surrounded by fields of tobacco and sugar cane. In 1980 Rodriguez and his family boarded a boat and left for America during the Mariel boatlift. They settled in Miami, where Rodriguez was introduced to and influenced by American pop culture for the first time.

Edel has been a regular contributor to The New Yorker magazine, The New York Times and TIME magazine for the last 25 years. He has exhibited internationally with shows in New York, Los Angeles, Havana, Berlin, La Paz, Cape Town, Prague and London. He has created over 200 magazine and book covers and has illustrated 10 children’s books, two of which he has authored. Rodriguez has also created several stamps for the U.S. Postal Service and has illustrated poster and advertising campaigns for many operas, films, and Broadway shows.

Rodriguez’s artwork is in the collections of a variety of institutions, including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., as well as in numerous private collections. His work has received numerous awards from The Art Director’s Club and The Society of Illustrators in New York City.