It was wonderful to bring back this beloved community-wide event in person on November 5, 2022. Hundreds of kids and family members joined us for book readings, workshops, bake sale, BBQ and lots of play and creativity.

Keep scrolling to find out more about our 2022 authors.

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Linden Tree Books

We were happy to welcome Linden Tree Books in Los Altos back on campus to highlight our featured authors and donate proceeds back to Orion from all of the book sales. It was a great opportunity to support a local business, promote our authors and raise money for the school.

Meet our 2022 Authors and Illustrators

STEPHANIE KAUFMAN

Stephanie Alexandra Kaufman is a Marriage and Family Therapist in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is certified in Child-Parent Psychotherapy and the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics. Stephanie works with children and adults, both in her private practice, and at a non-profit organization. All of the examples used in this book were inspired by real moments and concerns that have been brought to her attention in the therapy room.
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oliver chin

Previously in 2002 he wrote The Tao of Yao: Insights from Basketball’s Brightest Big Man, which Publishers Weekly called a “clever twist on the traditional sports biography” and The Honolulu Advertiser praised as “meticulously researched and will interest the phenom’s thousands of fans.” In the same year he wrote and illustrated the graphic novel 9 of 1: A Window to the World which received 2003 Honorable Mention for the Gustavus Myers Award that “commends works that extend our understanding of the root causes of bigotry and the range of options we as humans have in constructing alternative ways to share power.”
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jodie antypas

Jodie Antypas is a Bay Area native and works as a marketing executive at a local tech company. She has always enjoyed asking lots of questions about the world, and in some cases this natural curiosity caused her to experience anxiety and shame so she wrote her debut children’s book, Just Like An Astronaut, to normalize these feelings and encourage kids to recognize that something positive can result from an imperfect situation. In her spare time, Jodie enjoys the Northern California mountains and beaches with her family.

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ELIZABETH GOMEZ

I search for images that convey a somewhat utopic coexistence between humans (usually women) and their environment: an ecology that ultimately does not exist. This is why in my seemingly innocent stories there is always a hint of stress. I am interested in concepts of environmental hierarchy both in the wild and in our human reality.
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holly ayala

Holly Ayala has lived her entire life as a San Franciscan, but her heart belongs to the kids, los cipotes, of El Salvador…Ayala’s recently published bilingual book, “ABC El Salvador,” tells the story of Indigenous siblings, Xiomara and Kevin, who recount their favorite things, from the corn beverage atol to the tropical fruit zapote.
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alejandra domenzain

Alejandra Domenzain grew up in Mexico and the United States. Her parents immigrated from Mexico in very different circumstances than Flor. They studied medicine in Mexico and were able to get a work visa to complete their training in Florida. Alejandra was born in the U.S., but then grew up in Mexico until she was 6, when her family moved back to the U.S. for good. Like Flor, Alejandra had to learn English and adapt to a new home. Growing up, Alejandra and her sister Gabriela spent most summers and winter breaks with their family in Mexico, and are still very close to their many relatives.
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Elisa Kleven

Elisa Kleven is an American children’s writer and illustrator of 30 books. Her titles have been Booklist editor’s choices, and PBS and Rainbow Book selections.
Elisa has written several children’s books including the Paper Princess series, The Puddle Pail and The Lion and the Little Red Bird. Her first book was Ernst, a story about a creative crocodile named Ernst, whose tendency to wonder “what if” mirrors the author’s own.
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Lisa moore ramee

Lisa Moore Ramee wrote her first book in second grade. It took some time before she got around to writing her second one. A Good Kind of Trouble, her debut novel, published in Spring 2019. Something to Say came out in July, 2020 and Mapmaker will hit shelves in 2022.
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jane kuo

Jane Kuo is a Chinese and Taiwanese American writer. She is an immigrant and the daughter of immigrants. Jane grew up in Los Angeles in the 1980s. As a child, she spent her weekends and summers working in her family’s fast food restaurant. Jane’s middle grade novel, In the Beautiful Country, is a fictional story inspired by the events of her childhood.
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helen Wu

While raising my toddler, it didn’t take long for me to realize there aren’t many bilingual books on the market. Especially ones that teach toddlers basic social skills, manners, and behaviors like there are in English. I often found myself translating my toddler’s English books into Chinese as I was reading to him. It’s something I know not all parents can do without assistance.

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charlotte cheng

Charlotte Cheng creates stories on rocks, sidewalks, libraries, and, once in a while, the good old traditional piece of paper.

She has written and illustrated a variety of books including Explore China: A Mulan Discovery Book and BoBo Loves Dumplings. Represented by Red Fox Literary, Charlotte has spoken at events and taught interactive workshops. She has also been an active member of SCBWI for over ten years.

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