Roar for Reading 2026 is honored to host and showcase the following guest authors, illustrators and storytellers this October.
Where can you find books by the visiting authors?
- Check them out from Ms. Dixon at the school library
- Purchase a copy at the Laurelhurst Book Fair, October 5th-8th
Roar for Reading 2026 Guest Authors (bio’s here are pulled in part from the author websites)
Zoey is the author and illustrator of many beautiful children’s books including Banana, I Do Not Like Yolanda, The Kite Collector, and How To Draw a Zombie which she co-wrote with her 18-year-old son. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Oregon Book Award and the Oregon Spirit Book Award. Zoey lives in Portland, OR with her family and her two dogs, Carrots and Maple and is honored to get to make books for kids.
Zoey will be presenting to our Kindergarten students this October.
Waka writes books and screenplays, she has written and co-directed films, and has won recognition for her work. A few of her widely acclaimed titles include While I Was Away, Rick Kotani’s 400 Million Summer, and The Very Unfortunate Wish of Melony Yoshimura.
Waka is also an instructor with the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE). She teaches about U.S.-Japan relations to high school students in Japan, and has also authored curriculum on several international topics.
She lives in the Portland, Oregon area with her family and her naughty yet lovable shiba Niko.
Waka will will be visiting our 6th grade students.
Carson Ellis is the author and illustrator of the bestselling picture books Du Iz Tak? and Home. She has illustrated a number of books for kids including The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, and The Wildwood Chronicles by her husband, Colin Meloy. Carson also works as an editorial illustrator for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and other publications. This fall she has been especially busy promoting the new Wildwood film.
Carson lives on a farm with her family, three cats, three llamas, three goats, and some chickens.
We are honored to have Carson visit our school and present her work to our elementary school students.
Master artist and storyteller David Durosier will be working with our 4th and 5th grade students. He is a designated cultural ambassador for Haiti where he was born and where he began to sing and dance as a young child. He has performed at countless distinguished events worldwide.
David has dedicated his life to teaching the folklore and performance arts of Haiti.
Kallie is an author, editor, speaker and creative writing teacher. She is widely recognized for her Heartwood Hotel series but has written and illustrated many books for children. She loves picture books, fairy tales, beautiful music and art and baking cookies.
We are delighted to have Kallie presenting to our 3rd grade students this October.
Gillian is a librarian, a storyteller, an illustrator, a muralist and a mixed media artist. Gillian has also written and illustrated a beautiful children’s book called The Tale of Morris. We are honored to have Gillian creating a mural with our 8th grade students at Laurelhurst and can’t wait to have her work brighten our very own school walls!
Steph is an artist, author, curator, and a member of Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes. Steph earned her BFA in Painting and Printmaking from the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA).
Steph’s first children’s book My Powerful Hair (2023) made in collaboration with NYT bestselling Indigenous author Carole Lindstrom, earned the 2024 Carter G. Woodson Book Award. Steph has been commissioned by brands like Lucasfilms/Star Wars, Yahoo, Luna Bar, and featured by media outlets like PBS News, NPR, and ArtNews.
Steph will be presenting to our 1st grade students as part of Roar for Reading 2026.
Dane Liu believes in the power of stories to affirm, transport, and transform. Her books Laolao’s Dumplings and Friends are Friends, Forever have won recognition far and wide. Dane has also co-written Asian American and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us with Olympic medalists Maia and Alex Shibutani and has been featured on ABC News, NBC News, and CBS Mornings. Dane is an Oregon Book Award winner and an Oregon Literary Career Fellow. Dane also has a book release scheduled for fall 2027 and another for a graphic novel series in 2029, so keep your eyes peeled for her newest books as they appear at local bookshops. As a writer, she hopes to inspire young people to see the beauty of their own stories and the power of sharing them.
Dane will be presenting her work to our 2nd graders this October.
Rosanne is the author of eight award winning middle grade books including NYTimes Bestsellers A Whale of the Wild, A Wolf Called Wander, and the recently released A Raven of the Rainforest. Rosanne lives with her family in a big old farmhouse in Portland, OR and writes in a treehouse in her backyard.
Rosanne will be sharing her new release with our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students.
Illustrators visiting the Carnival Cartoon Showdown:
Breena Bard is an Oregon Book Award-winning cartoonist who writes for kids and kids at heart. Her middle grade graphic novels include Wildfire and Trespassers.
Jonathan Hill is an award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and educator. His graphic novels, such as Lizard Boy, capture the nuances of middle-grade life with energy, insight, and ample comic relief.
Aron Nels Steinke is a cartoonist and former elementary school teacher. His bestselling and award-winning Mr. Wolf’s Class series follows the adventures of a class of fourth graders and their teacher who just so happens to look like a wolf. He is also the author of Speechless, a 2026 PNBA winner.
