Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers As Kids: An Inspiring Graphic Biography for Middle Grade Readers

by Elizabeth Haidle

This exciting debut in graphic novel format tells the childhood stories of literary legends including Maya Angelou, Roald Dahl, and Sandra Cisnernos. Perfect for fans of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls  and Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World.

What makes a writer?  What inspires them? Where do their stories come from? Striking illustrations and a popular graphic novel format bring to life this anthology of literary legends and their childhoods. Featuring beloved authors such as Maya Angelou, C.S. Lewis, Gene Luen Yang and J.K. Rowling, these stories capture the childhood triumphs, failures, and inspirations that predated their careers.

Children ages ten and up will see themselves in these humanized portraits and wonder if they, too, might have it in them to write. A celebration of creativity, this collective graphic biography is sprinkled throughout with writing wisdom and inspiring quotes.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, History, Picture Books, Childrens

64 pages, Hardcover

Published May 14, 2019

About the author

I am an illustrator of non-fiction—biographical, historical, political & sometimes poetical-philosophical.

I am also the art + editorial director at Illustoria magazine, published by McSweeney’s. Inside its colorful, curiosity-inducing pages, we celebrate comics, stories & DIY.

I live in Portland, Oregon, even though I left my heart in Taos, New Mexico.
(I go back there often to retrieve bits of it)

Reviews

[Panda Incognito · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was BEAUTIFUL at first. I loved it. The graphic novel format suits each chapter well, and I enjoyed learning more about the childhoods of popular authors, especially those that I grew up reading. Better yet, because Haidle wrote this with a specific focus on encouraging young writers, she shares specific details about how the authors developed their skills, and quotes a line or two of writing advice from each of them at the end of their chapter. As I read this, I was full of warm, happy feelings, anticipating a four or five star rating, and I felt so grateful that my library had just gotten copies. I had thought that I would have to wait until six months after the release date to inter-library loan this, and it was such a thrill to find it on the new books shelf at work.

But! But! After all that excitement and enjoyment, I got to the next-to-last chapter, which is about C.S. Lewis. I read slowly, taking in every illustrated detail about my favorite author's life, but after I got to the end, I had to look back and see if I had somehow skipped over a page. Or maybe I had missed a sentence.

Nope. This author just thought it was a good idea not to even MENTION that C.S. Lewis was a Christian.

She didn't even allude to it! She covered all of the important biographical turning points from his life, from his mother's death, to his boarding school experiences, to his delight in Norse mythology, but she could not bring herself to mention his conversion from atheism to Christianity, even though it is the most central thing about his life and work.

This completely ruined the whole book for me. I enjoyed it so much, but then the author betrayed my trust and my interest by leaving out the most important detail about my favorite author. I once excoriated another book for sharing a biographical sketch of Bonhoeffer without mentioning that he participated in an assassination plot against Hitler and was imprisoned and executed because of it. Little did I know, that author was ahead of the game for even mentioning that he was a man of faith!

WHAT IS WRONG with these authors? I'm not going to openly accuse Elizabeth Haidle of religious prejudice, since I know absolutely nothing about her other than her name and her authorship of this book, but as far as I can see, that is the only logical explanation for why she would write about C.S. Lewis without mentioning his faith. She does note that he discussed cosmology and theology with J.R.R. Tolkien, but so what? That doesn't tell his life story. That doesn't address how his core beliefs permeated every aspect of his work. C.S. Lewis is considered the foremost Christian apologist of the twentieth century, and even if you're only evaluating his books for children, his faith is still HIGHLY RELEVANT. You can't fully understand the Chronicles of Narnia without understanding his beliefs. Christianity was not a side-note to his life that you can skip over. It shaped everything about his work, and there is no way to write a historically accurate bio without at least mentioning his faith.

I wouldn't actively discourage someone from reading this book, since the other chapters are thoroughly enjoyable and appear complete, but the author's complete lack of historic credibility and integrity regarding C.S. Lewis disgusts me so much that I cannot rate this book on a curve and must give it a protest rating instead.

[Mai M Ibrahim · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكتاب يعتبر للناشئين .. عن مجموعة من كُتاب كتب أطفال بتحكي قصتهم من وهما صغيرين وأهم المراحل في حياتهم

الرسومات حلوة اوي .. هصورها وانزلها ع انستجرام mai.designer92@

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a lovely introduction to some fantastic authors. I loved that the breadth of authors highlighted (sure there's CS Lewis, but there's also Gene Luen Yang and Sandra Cisneros!) and the small details that connect to some of the famous works by the authors. The art compliments the narratives very well, and the color palette used isn't overwhelming and adds to the charming tone of the book as a whole.

this is definitely not a one sitting book, but the strength of this book is in the ability to re-visit as needed and take what one wants from the book. This is a lovely starting place for a student needing to write a biography of their favorite author, but it's also a great place to find inspiration and writing advice.

[Rahmadiyanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Twain was born as Halley's Comet blazed through the night sky, and he died the day the comet returned, 75 years later.

Buku yang sungguh menyenangkan dibaca. Cerita masa kecil 10 penulis cerita anak terkenal (yang 2 saya kurang familier) dengan ilustrasi yang menawan. Jujur, terlalu tipis buat saya :D. Tidak ada Enid Blyton, Astrid Lindgren, Shel Silverstein, Lewis Carrol, Rudyard Kipling, A.A. Milne, H.C. Andersen, Kate DiCamillo, E.B. White, Pihilip Pullman, Laura Inggalls Wilder, Lucy M. Montgomery, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Jostein Gaarder, Jacqueline Wilson, E.L. Konigsburg, Louisa May Alcott, Lois Lowry, Katherine Paterson, Eleanor H. Porter... Lha banyak? Hahaha, bisa jadi dua buku lagi nih (kasi kode ke penulisnya).

Dari 10 penulis yang diceritakan dalam buku ini, rata-rata memiliki kesamaan: suka buku (membaca), kreatif, dan memiliki determinasi tinggi terhadap keinginan sebagai penulis. Dr. Seuss misalnya, dia sangat suka menggambar dan bila diganggu oleh kakak ceweknya, dia menggambari dinding kamar sang kakak dengan coretan hewan/makhluk aneh. Dia juga tidak mendapat dukungan dari sekolah, saat bercita-cita menjadi penulis/pelukis. Melihat hasil gambarnya, sang guru berkata: "You will never learn to draw... just skip this class for the rest f the term."

Samuel Langhorne Clemens atau Mark Twain, pada usia 15 harus berhenti sekolah dan bekerja setelah ayahnya wafat dan keluarganya jatuh miskin.

Roald Dahl, semasa kecil sangat suka permen. Namun, pemilik toko permen yang ia suka ia datangi curiga Dahl (seperti anak-anak lain) akan mencuri permen, sehingga dia tidak memberi kesempatan Dahl untuk masuk ke tokonya. Sebal diperlakukan seperti itu, Dahl merencanakan pembalasan. Dalam suatu kesempatan, ia memasukkan tikus mati ke dalam salah satu toples permen. Ketahuan dong, dan Dahl dihukum, dikirim ke sekolah asrama. Tak betah di sekolah asrama, Dahl kabur dengan berpura-pura sakit. Di kemudian hari, kesukaannya pada permen dan cokelat, menjadi inspirasi novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Lain lagi dengan J.K. Rowling. Semasa kecil dan remaja, ia adalah sosok yang pemalu. Pada kelulusan sekolah, ada penghargaan ala-ala, seperti siapa yang di masa depan akan sukses, jadi jutawan, dsb. Rowling dapat penghargaan: Diragukan akan sukses dan kemungkinan bakal masuk penjara. Ouch!

Bagaimana dengan Beatrix Potter? Orangtua , terutama ibunya, kurang mendukung bakat seni dan menulis Potter. Menurut ibunya, Potter mestinya lebih berpikir soal status sosial, cari suami yang mapan, dll daripada mikirin soal teknis melukis yang oke. Ketika The Tale of Peter Rabbit sukses, disusul oleh buku-buku yang lain, Potter membeli lahan pertanian (Lake District) dan melindunginya dari pembangunan urban. Lahan itu kemudian Potter serahkan pada sebuah lembaga nasional.

Cerita-cerita masa kecil dan remaja C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle, Maya Angelou, Sandra Cisneros, dan Gene Luen Yang, juga menarik.

Cinta deh sama buku ini! Kepikiran, sepertinya seru kalau penulis-penulis berpengaruh di Indonesia juga dibuatkan buku sejenis ini.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 to 3.5. Skipped JKR's section. Could use more diversity.

[Shruti Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a beautiful book. <3 Loved the storytelling, the choice of writers and the illustrations.

[Lệ Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Haidle is a brilliant illustrator herself. Not only does she never cease to amaze me with many experimental illustrative works, but she also proves herself to be a very good graphic novel artist/writer. Compiling different stories of 10 famous writers and their childhood, Haidle takes on the challenge of making this book with such skilful illustrations and insightful summaries of the authors' lives. As an emerging illustrator who is also a book nerd, this book would be in the top of my list whenever I need references for making graphic biography zines/books.

As a reader I am, the most successful thing of 'Before They Were Authors' is that Elizabeth Haidle evokes the great interest in me to put many good recommendations on my to-read list and to get to know more about the famous writers (such as Mark Twain, Maya Angelou, Dr. Seuss, Roald Dahl, Madeleine L'Engle). Haidle once told me on IG that she is in the progress of making a sequel, "Before They Were Artists", which I'm so eager to hold it in my hands!

_

personal notes:

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain one once he grows up." - Pablo Picasso

- public moralist, political philosopher (Mark Twain)
- The friendship between Helen Keller & Mark Twain

- "I could crawl into the space between the notes and turn my back to loneliness." - Maya Angelou talking about jazz

-"Perhaps all memory is a chance at storytelling and every story brings us closer to revealing ourselves to ourselves." - Sandra Cisneros (A House of My Own)

- Roald Dahl's 'witches potion' (milk tinted green with food coloring)
- Roald's gravesite in his museum
- The Big Friendly Giant as his favourite tale

-J.K.Rowling's literary heroine: Jo March from Little Women
-Influence: The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge, the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis, Emma by Jane Austen
-"You just have to resign yourself to wasting a lot of trees before you write anything really good." - J.K.Rowling

-"Words and images convey emotion differently...I wanted to attack stereotypes through image because I wanted you to feel it in your gut." - Gene Luen Yang

-"I have just made stories to please myself because I never grew up." - Beatrix Potter

- The friendship between C.S.Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien

- "Isn't everything?" - Madeleine L'Engle defined science fiction

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: What makes a writer? Many of us wonder about the stories behind the stories of best selling authors...



Premise/plot: What do you call a nonfiction book that uses the graphic novel format?! This one is nonfiction. It includes brief biographies of ten--yes, ten--writers. (5 Men. 5 Women.) The writers included are Mark Twain, Maya Angelou, Dr. Seuss, Sandra Cisneros, Roald Dahl, J.K. Rowling, Gene Luen Yang, Beatrix Potter, C.S. Lewis, and Madeleine L'Engle. Some of these writers wrote for children--toddlers, preschoolers, grade school students; some of these writers wrote for young adults or even adults.


Each author biography is told over several pages. As I mentioned earlier, it uses the graphic novel/comic book format to tell the stories. Sprinkled throughout the biographies are quotes from the writers.


My thoughts: I love the idea of loving this one. I do. The truth is very few readers are going to agree on which ten authors "should" be included in the book. There are no right answers here. Some seem obvious to me--Dr. Seuss, for example or even J.K. Rowling. There is one "omission" that saddens me. I would have LOVED, LOVED, LOVED to see Beverly Cleary included here. Her story is surely just as interesting as Beatrix Potter's?! Another "omission" that comes to mind is L.M. Montgomery.



Are these ten authors personal favorites of mine? Not really. That's okay. The subtitle isn't Becky's Favorite Writers As Kids.

[İrem Hira Yuca Vurucu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bazısı iyi bildiğim hayat hikayeleri bazısı hiç adını bile duymadığım yazarlar ve arada kalanlar .. ama hepsi çok tatlı çizilmiş ve “ilham verenler” başlığı altındalar. Başka başka yollardan geçip yolu edebiyatı bulan insanlar bunlar ve ortaklıklar bulmaya , oraya gelirken nelerden beslendiklerini bilmeye devam etmem ne güzel. Bayılıyorum böyle şeyler okumaya

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read and interesting-it is a children's book.

[Caroline Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Mini biographies just the right length with many lovely illustrations.

[Robert Ellington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating to read how some notable authors started out!

[Heidi Goehmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers a colorful format and diverse collection of authors with short graphic bios centered around their writing pathways. It includes talents, challenges, and relationships that inspired each author.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, graphic bios of famous writers (mostly children's authors but not exclusively). I found the stories and quotes very charming and inspiring.

I thought the book did a good job of balancing the "canon" of traditional kids lit (Beatrix Potter, Dr. Seuss), while expanding the selections a little bit to include new names. For example: is Gene Luen Yang as famous as Roald Dahl or CS Lewis? No, but perhaps some day he will be! Either way, it doesn't hurt to have a more contemporary and diverse mix of authors for kids to see themselves in.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute and visually appealing read that captures the essence of some of the most famous authors’ lives—and how they came to be. Some of the names were already familiar to me, like Mark Twain, J.K. Rowling, Roald Dahl, and C.S. Lewis. Others were completely new to me (which makes me feel a little shameful as an English major, lmao), such as Beatrix Potter (author of Peter Rabbit) and Maya Angelou (author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings).

I loved seeing how each author had their own unique journey to writing. Some began as soon as they could hold a pencil, like C.S. Lewis, while others only started later in life after trying (and failing) at other jobs—Mark Twain, for example, worked as a typesetting apprentice, journalist, lumberman, steamboat captain, and political advocate before becoming a celebrated author. Dr. Seuss studied literature with the aim of becoming a professor, but he had always loved drawing since childhood. His quirky, distinctive style wasn’t widely accepted at first, but it eventually became iconic.

One theme that really stood out was determination. The road to fame was rarely smooth, and many of these authors endured countless rejections. Encouragement from a mentor or teacher often made all the difference in pushing them through those toughest years. I especially connected with the stories of Gene Luen Yang and Beatrix Potter—both started by self-publishing their work before being discovered by larger publishers. It made me realize that if you truly want your book out in the world, you can start small, and it will still find the right audience.

Beatrix Potter also fascinated me as both an artist and a scientist. She would boil animal bones to reconstruct their skeletons for study and paint insects in microscopic detail. That level of precision? Definitely not something I could do!

The book also has some great quotes. In the introduction, there’s a Pablo Picasso line about the universality of the creative impulse:

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain one once he grows up.”

Maya Angelou, in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, writes:

“If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is as the rust on the razor that threatens the throat.”

And Beatrix Potter explained why she wrote:

“I have just made stories to please myself because I never grew up.”

All in all, this is a wonderful collective graphic biography that captures the true-life stories behind beloved authors’ careers. For me, it was more than just informative—it was comforting. I’m currently in that confusing place of being laid off and figuring out my next steps, and reading about these authors’ journeys reminded me that even extraordinary people often start out as ordinary kids with a passion they couldn’t ignore.

This isn’t just a book for young readers—it’s equally uplifting for adults, especially if you’re going through an existential crisis and need a dose of hope.

[Cindy Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of kids’ favorite writers, people like Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss, and Madeleine L’Engle, were also young before growing up to become famous. And learning about the lives of these writers-in-the-making can provide inspiration for children, possibly prompting them to learn more or even to write stories of their own. Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids by Elizabeth Haidle talks about these budding writers as well as others, profiling 10 in all.

The graphic format combines illustrations with snippets of facts and a timeline of each author’s life to show that even well-known people can try and fail many times before becoming successful. For instance, Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, tried many jobs, including being a lumberman, steamboat captain, and silver miner, before he started to write stories that sold. Dr. Seuss’s art teacher once told him he would never learn to draw. And Gene Luen Yang self-published his comics, photocopying and stapling them himself, before a publisher offered him a contract.

Readers also learn about Maya Angelou, Sandra Cisneros, J. K. Rowling, Beatrix Potter, and C.S. Lewis. Before They Were Authors is great for ages 8 to 11, but can be appreciated by older readers as well.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain one once he grows up.”

Each author’s chapter includes quotes from their writing and a timeline of major publishing events. The biography portion format has a graphic novel feel.

A common theme among all the authors’ bios is how their childhood experiences influenced their writing. Another common theme is finding solace in writing and/or in books. A third theme is the importance of family, mentors and/or friends.

Mark Twain: “The different between the almost right word and the right word is really a larger matter — it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.

Maya Angelou: “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”

Dr. Seuss: “Less work, more fun!”

Sandra Cisneros: “I’ve never seen a marriage that is as happy as my living alone.”

Roald Dahl: “Writing is mainly perspiration, not inspiration!”

JK Rowling:
Gene Luen Yang: “Words and images convey emotion differently ... I wanted to attack stereotypes through image because I wanted you to feel it in your gut.” — on why he chose the graphic novel format

Beatrix Potter: “I have just made stories to please myself because I never grew up.”

C.S. Lewis: “Much of the best work ... is the re-writing of things begun and abandoned years earlier.”

Madeleine L’Engle:

Includes source notes and a good-sized bibliography.

[Vani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it just me or does it seem like each of the female authors has had a more remarkable life than all of the male authors combined? Maya Angelou went through terrible trauma and stopped speaking when she was seven. She found her way back through words. She worked so many interesting jobs, which shaped her writing. J.K Rowling battled depression and poverty and used her words to depict her feelings. Beatrix Potter was a scientist, illustrator, storyteller, and a self-published author...in 1901! Madeleine L. Engle read science books for fun and used the knowledge to write a book that transcended genre. Except for Gene Luen Yang, whose books I definitely want to read, the rest of the male authors seemed to have just undergone trauma at boarding schools and war and witnessed slavery. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure it was terrible to experience these things. But it just doesn't feel as varied as the female authors' experiences. Anyway, this is a great book. I enjoyed reading it and looking at the beautiful images. I see strength, creativity, persistence, power, and ingenuity in each author.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful little book about authors and their childhoods, activities and events that might have led to their writerly careers later. It showcases the various paths people can be on to reach the goal of being a writer, underscoring the fact that there is no clear formula. There's a remarkably interesting balance of classic children's authors (Mark Twain, Beatrix Potter, C.S. Lewis) and more recent writers (Gene Yang Luen and J. K. Rowling). There is a higher percentage of white/caucasian writers in this book, and all are English-speaking, mostly from the U.S. or the British Isles. The advantage there, of course, is that American kids will have read or maybe heard of the authors highlighted; the downside is the fact that it reasserts the idea that English-speaking writers write books for kids, not writers in other languages (which is not true).

[Julie Jordan Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

My expectations were far exceeded in this engaging book meant for children but so appropriate for every age, especially for folks who would like to write more. Stories abound of discouraged writers and artists and general "misfit types" (like many of the bookish among us) who find their way in spite of what others saw as short comings.

I love this book so much I checked it out of two different libraries and now plan to buy a copy of my own.

I especially loved the segments on Sandra Cisneros, Dr. Seuss, Madeleine L'Engle and Beatrix Potter. So many surprises about each author!

(PS The dates read ought to read: the time span over which I enjoyed reading and re-reading this fantastic book. :-) )

[Jared Pangier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful. As someone who intends to become a famous author, and who works hard to do that consistently, this book is clearly something I would enjoy reading. But even if this is not you, reading about someone's life is fascinating. Reading about 10 peoples' lives, all of whom have very different backgrounds and timelines, but all of whom became famous authors, is beyond fascinating. Being able to compare these 10 authors in this visual format provided me with many ideas to think about as I navigate the next steps of my life.
Here is one of those things:
"When you give up on a bit of work, don't throw it away. Put it in a drawer. It may come in useful later. Much of my best work...is the re-writing of things begun and abandoned years earlier." — C.S. Lewis

[Rachel Nazareth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book it was a really interesting & relaxing read. I loved the drawings and the details about each author’s lives.

I think I enjoyed Beatrix Potter and Maya Angelous stories the best. What challenging times they lived through, but you could see that reading, writing and for Beatrix, drawing, gave them such life.

Plus it lead all these authors to financial success! I loved learning that some self published first, which I have been reluctant to do. I hope to publish a book one day, for now I’m just an English & Religion teacher toiling away on teaching and marking!

I found the amount of text in this book to be a lot for young readers, but kids might love having this read to them. It’s a great read for teens and adults too though.

[Hanae]

This book is a smart and interesting book about famous authors and their childhood, "Before They Were Authors". Famous authors like JK Rowling, Dr. Seuss, Roal Dahl, Maya Angelou, and many other famous and successful writers. It talks about the different backgrounds that all these authors came from, some wealthy, and had a stable life and some poor and always changing places, But in the end, all these backgrounds of these storytellers inspired most of their books like how Roal Dahl's book charlie and the chocolate factory was inspired by his sweet tooth for candy or how green eggs and ham was made because of a bet. overall this was a really good book.

[Aina]

I have never read a more creative, fun, but also informative biography book than this before. This book depicted and illustrated many of the famous and talented writers' childhood and their struggles which encouraged me that writing isn't something that was easy for them either. In addition, I was able to learn how great ideas do not come together at once, most often times, but that holding onto old memories and ideas can help me later on in the future to develop something great. This book also taught me the importance and the power of writing as the books that these authors wrote changed their lives.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the art in this! Soft and beautiful. It provided a few pages of information on the lives of some well known authors. This isn't meant as an in depth biography but I think that children would enjoy hearing about what inspired the authors of books they know about. It was also fun to see some of the authors as kids reading books by other authors featured in this book. I would recommend this for young children as it is a pretty basic reading level, but could be used for inspiration for an older kid to do more research.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book. I ordered it thinking it's written for a middle grade audience, but it's definitely for younger kids. I would call it a nonfiction picture book. Packed with illustrations and just enough information to be interesting, but not dull. Authors covered are Mark Twain, Maya Angelou, Dr. Seuss, Sandra Cisneros, Roald Dahl, J. K. Rowling, Gene Luen Yang, Beatrix Potter, C. S. Lewis, and Madeleine L'Engle

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved that this will be an OBOB title next year - a great way to incorporate NF, GNov and the lives of great authors for young enthusiastic readers, artists & writers. Diverse and balanced list of authors male / female / ethnic / modern / historic - all great - but with the newer info about Seuss I was surprised to see him included - even tho his books were how I learned to read and I love his work...felt conflicted now that I know more about his War time comics, racist caricatures , etc....

[Andee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated, non-fiction collection of biographies of beloved authors. Written for a younger audience, we learn what motivated our favorite storytellers to write.

In their stories, I see many of my own students. Some grew up lonely, some grew up poor, some grew up not loving sports, some grew up loving the outdoors - I know kids will find some author to find common circumstances.

Reading level for grade 3, interest level for all ages.

[Claude · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book tring to find something suitable to include for my university assignment (INF205 Literature and Other Resources for Childern and Young Adults) and I'm so glad I did! I thought this was absolutely charming, a lovely collection of stories and anecdotes about these authors; some I was familiar with and some not. I'm looking forward to reading Haidle's 'artists' edition of this style; and hope that another edition with 10 more authors will be published in future!

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be an amazing collection of diverse authors. The title promises delightful details and fascinating behind-the-scenes stories, but I found the text and content a little bland. The graphic novel format was perfectly suited, but not used to its potential. I felt like the art lacked the vitality needed to elevate the text. I would definitely recommend it for schools and libraries, but hope it is kid-friendly enough.