Third Graders Read Together: Author/Illustrator Events

Join us for this year’s Third Graders Read Together Online Author/Illustrator Events with Andrea J. Loney and Drew Brockington.

Andrea J. Loney

Meet the author of the Abby in Orbit series

Tuesday, February 27 at 10:30 AM – Join Webinar

Family Background: Andrea J. Loney is from a large African-American, Jamaican and Panamanian family, and grew up in a small suburban New Jersey town.   
Reading and Writing: Even as a young child Andrea loved to read books and write her own stories.  Andrea graduated from New York University with an MFA in Dramatic Writing and is now an award-winning author of both picture books and chapter books including the Abby in Orbit series. 
Other Jobs: Before becoming a published author, Andrea joined the Big Apple Circus!  She traveled around with clowns, elephants, and acrobats for a whole year.  Other jobs include working for Disney and teaching computer skills to veterans. 
Andrea’s pets: Andrea has a purry ninja kitty named Sophie Grace and two betta fish named Jean-Michel Fisquiat and Frida Fishie Kahlo. Her favorite wild animal is a two-toed sloth.
Other Favorites: Andrea’s favorite video game is Animal Crossing and her favorite musical instrument to play is the heart-shaped Kalimba, a mini finger instrument. 
Andrea’s thoughts on books: “Throughout my life, some of my best friends have been books. They have delighted, empowered, and comforted me with their stories. Today, I hope my words may do the same for kids around the world.”
Website: https://andreajloney.com/

Check out Andrea's latest book:

Meet the author/illustrator of the Waffles and Pancake series

Tuesday, March 12 at 10:30 AM – Join Webinar

Graduated from: Kalamazoo College (Michigan) with a degree in Art and Art History 
Lives in: Minneapolis, Minnesota 
Other places he has lived: New York, New York 
Has wanted to be a cartoonist since: 5th Grade 
Other work: Graphic design 
Number of books published: 15 
Favorite constellation: Ursa Minor 
Space Camp: Drew went to NASA Space Camp for a week when he was around 30 years old. His favorite parts were working with an International Space Station simulator and touring the Houston Rocket Center. 
Research for Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM: “To prep for Planetary-Yum I watched a lot of Planetarium programs and started building my own show about constellations and stars for what I wanted the kittens to learn. My family has started camping together for the past few years and every time we’re in the woods at night I look up and can easily point out Orion or the Big Dipper.” From interview with Betsy Bird. 
Website: https://brockart.format.com/

Check out Drew's latest book: