Rie Neal is a children’s book author who loves all things space.
Growing up, she was often dragged on her grandfather’s unauthorized
tours of NASA’s Ames Research Center, which she didn’t appreciate
enough at the time. Eventually, though, she became a full-blown
space fan and began to write space-related books for kids. She
also has a doctor of audiology degree from the University of Iowa
and is nationally certified as an audiologist through the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Today, she lives in the
Silicon Valley with her husband and kids, where they drag people on
(authorized) tours of the NASA Ames visitor center. Learn more
about her books at RieNeal.com or connect with her on Instagram
(@RieNealWriter).
Talitha Shipman is a picture book illustrator from Indiana. Her
favorite subjects to paint are wild kids and wild
animals. Nature inspires Talitha’s painting, and she hopes her
work encourages curiosity and creativity in children of all ages.
Her books include the Sydney Taylor Honor recipient Everybody
Says Shalom by Leslie Kimmelman, American Farm Bureau
Recommended Read Applesauce Day by Lisa J. Amstutz, and
2019 IPPY Silver Medalist First Snow by Nancy Viau. Her
debut author-illustrator picture book was Finding Beauty.
Talitha lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with her husband and their
five-year-old wild child, Coral.
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