Author Biography

Monica Kulling is a poet who has published over forty books for children, including picture books, adaptations of classic novels, and biographies. Known for introducing biography to children who are just learning to read, she has written about Harriet Tubman, Henry Ford, Houdini, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Amelia Earhart, among others. Her award-winning Great Idea Series features biographies of inventors and their captivating inventions. She is also the author of the hilarious Merci Mister Dash! and Mister Dash and the Cupcake Calamity. Visit her website at

David Parkins is an award-winning illustrator of more than fifty books for children. After studying wildlife illustration in Wales and general illustration at the Lincoln College of Art, he became a freelance illustrator whose work has appeared in The Guardian, the Toronto Star, Bloomberg Business Week, Nature, The Economist, and in the British children's comic The Beano. He does a regular editorial cartoon for the Globe and Mail and is the critically acclaimed illustrator of two other books in Monica Kulling's Great Idea Series: In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps It Up, shortlisted for the 2013 Governor General's Literary Award in Children's Illustration, and Going Up! Elisha Otis's Trip to the Top.

Review

Selected, Amazon's Best Nonfiction Kids Books, 2014


"Kulling deftly describes early twentieth-century social, physical, and technical conditions that presented challenges to productivity in both public and private settings, and she explains how Gilbreth's innovations improved conditions, creating context so that young readers can appreciate the extent of her contributions. Parkins' rich, cartoon-like illustrations provide clear period detail, and his characters' faces portray an extensive range of emotions, adding interest and emphasizing Gilbreth's primary commitment to her family." - Booklist


"Readers' appetites are whetted to read further about this woman [Lillian Gilbreth] .... [David Parkins] charms readers with pen and ink drawings combined with water colour. The plentiful illustrations, with their expressive figures and sense of proportion, are full of life and vigor. They enrich and enhance the text with their vibrancy and detail. It is such a pleasure to pore over them." - CM Magazine

Prizes

Short-listed for Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (Nonfiction) 2016

Review Quote

PRAISE FOR Great Idea Series: "Monica Kulling's charming It's a Snap! ... tells Eastman's story with panache and Bill Slavin's entertaining pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations push the humor up a notch. This is terrific storytelling that will work as a read aloud in any class." - Curriculum Connections, School Library Journal "...accessible picture book biography... The strong narrative is peppered with snappy dialogue. Bill Slavin's pen, ink and watercolour illustrations are equally engaging. ...This first book in the Great Idea Series is a picture-perfect introduction to biographies for beginning readers." - Excellent, Resource Links "... Kulling's narrative frames this history in relatable terms through Eastman's life and work.... Slavin's pen-and-ink-with-watercolor illustrations depict the time, while grayscale scrapbook-style pictures evoke the look of early photography." - Kirkus Reviews "...Slavin's artwork sparkles with its usual animism, creating realistic but witty images, and Kulling's prose is crisp and accessible. Kulling frames this biography using traditional storybook elements..." - Quill & Quire

Details