Spotlight on Patricia C. McKissack and Jerry Pinkney

Quick bios of the author of and illustrator of The All I'll Ever Want Christmas Doll

Patricia C. McKissack was born in Tennessee but moved to St. Louis to live with her grandparents after her parents divorced. After many years as a teacher and children’s book editor, she launched her writing career and the rest is history. A writer of children’s picture books, nonfiction, and short stories with the main focus on African American history and biography, McKissack won the Newbery Honor Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award for her 1992 book, The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural. Other notable books include Mirandy and Brother Wind and Nettie Jo's Friends.

Jerry Pinkney was born in Philadelphia and has illustrated more than 75 children’s books, many of them featuring multicultural and African American themes. He has received many distinguished awards including five Caldecott Honor Awards and five Coretta Scott King Awards. Pinkey’s watercolor illustrations are vibrant and make the characters come to life. The Patchwork Quilt and Aesop's Fables are among my favorites.