Some readers aren't aware that the author and illustrator of a picture book oftentimes don't even know one another, and may never even talk to one another as the picture book is created. But what if the opposite is true? How do writers and artists who know one another so well combine their various visions into one? We'll hear from these beloved kid's book writers and artists about their latest books and how they created them.

Moderator Viki Ash is the Coordinator of Children’s Services at the San Antonio Public Library.  An active member of both TLA and ALA, Viki has served on the Texas Bluebonnet Award Committee, the Caldecott Committee and chaired the 2012 Newbery Committee.  She received both her MLS and PhD from the University of Texas and taught children’s literature courses while on the faculty at Texas Woman’s University.  You can find her reviews of recently published board books in the November/December issue of The Horn Book.

Young readers 8-12 years old will be captivated by these wonderfully delirious tales of school hijinks. James Luna's A Mummy in Her Backpack/Una Momia en su mochila follows Flor's attempts to protect and then return the walking, talking mummy that came home from vacation with her. Jarret Krosoczka's Lunch Lady graphic novels series continues with Lunch Lady and the Picture Day Peril. And Kirk Scroggs continues the Tales of a Sixth Grade Muppet. Filled with delightful illustrations, these books will leave kids clamoring for more.

Moderator Kari Anne Holt is the author of Mike Stellar: Nerves of Steel and Brains for Lunch. She has essays forthcoming in Dear Teen Me and Fakes: An Anthology of Pseudo Interviews, Faux-Lectures, Quasi-Letters, "Found" Texts, and Other Fraudulent Artifacts. Kari lives in Austin, TX with her husband and three malevolently charming children.

This fall, the biggest names and freshest voices in middle-grade lit are touring the country in a competition to win the title of “Best in Class.” Join 3 stellar and hilarious authors for this interactive event, where kids will compete to win their author the coveted title in the Class Act Challenge.

Moderator Topher Bradfield is the Children's Outreach Coordinator for BookPeople, in Austin. For the last five years he has visited classrooms to do book talks and performances from his favorite new books. During the summers, Topher runs BookPeople's Literary camps, recreating the worlds of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Ranger's Apprentice, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Kiki Strike, and Half-Moon Investigations.

The pictures within a children's book alone are not what fully engages a child; the connection is made from the very first words he or she reads. In this panel, we have asked several authors to reveal the artistry behind the witty and heartwarming lines which their young readers love.

Moderator Suzanne Wofford has served with the Children's Chapter of TBF for over 10 years, often presenting authors with her students from R. E. Lee Elementary in Austin where she is librarian. Her favorite part of the Festival is the excitement of kids when hearing their favorite authors and meeting new ones.

Painters get the literary treatment in these two award-winning picture books for young readers. Duncan Tonatiuh's Diego Rivera: His World and Ours is the winner of the 2012 Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award. Using vibrant colors to tell the story of young Diego Rivera, Tonatiuh brings Rivera to a new generation of fans. Don Tate wrote and R. Gregory Christie illustrated It Jes' Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw, which tells the story of Bill Traylor, a former slave and one of America's foremost self-taught artists. All three take on towering figures of the art world, and introduce young readers to their stories.

Moderator Sharon O’Neal is an Associate Professor at Texas State University - San Marcos. Her current research interests include reader response, young adult and children’s literature, early childhood literacy development and rural education.  She has worked as a public school teacher at both secondary and elementary levels.

Everyone knows writers need to choose their words carefully, but these two picture books have become instant classics by matching entrancing images with the playful power of words. Liz Garton Scanlon's Think Big is told in bite-sized, rhyming couplets and follows young kids trying on future, artistic careers. Candace Fleming's Oh, No! encourages children to read out loud as a whole cast of animals comes across a mysterious, deep hole.

Moderator Carmen Oliver writes fiction and nonfiction for preschool to upper middle-grade. She’s the Assistant Regional Advisor for the Austin Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She is also a regular contributor for ReaderKidZ, a website devoted to fostering a love of reading in kids, K-5. She divides her time between living in Canada and the United States with her loving husband, three beautiful children and one scallywag dog.

Danger doesn't faze the unconventional crime stoppers in these illustrated books for middle grade readers. Jarret Kroscozka's Lunch Lady thinks something's up when her entire school breaks out in pimples the day school photos are being taken. Steve Brixton, the 12-year-old detective in Mac Barnett's Brixton Brothers series, faces down surfers, pirates, and sixth grade while in pursuit of a stolen surfboard. The suspense, the mystery, the danger...it's all in a day's work. Ellis Weiner’s Templeton Twins, John and Abigail, use their wits to outsmart kidnappers bent on stealing their father’s brilliant invention. And Roland Smith's Shatterproof, the fourth book of the New York Times bestselling series The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers, has the Cahill siblings facing their most daunting task yet: stealing the Golden Jubilee diamond.

Moderator Shawn Mauser loves matching the perfect book with the perfect reader. She has been honing this skill for 22 years in Texas classrooms, first as a language arts teacher and now as the "Magical Ninja Librarian"  of the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders. A lover of words, books, technology, and cat eye glasses, she is convinced she was born to be a librarian in the 21st century. Shawn is one-third of the librarian trio who hosts and produces Out of the Stacks Austin, a podcast featuring book reviews and educational technology tips and tricks.