Matthew McElligott

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Matt grew up outside of Albany, NY. and lives not far from there today. He went to college at Alfred University, then graduate school in Buffalo. He has a studio in his home which he shares with his wife, Christy (a dynamite web designer) and several animals, including two horses, four chickens, and a dog.

When he's not working on illustration and children's books, he spends his time teaching as a professor at the Sage College of Albany in Albany, NY. He's a past president of the Albany chapter of the Graphic Artists Guild.

Selected books written and/or illustrated by Matthew McElligott

written and illustrated by Matthew McElligott
Walker & Co., c2004

Gloria is brave, but Frieda is absolutely not. Gloria wants to go for a walk, but Frieda absolutely does not. Everything is scary from Frieda's point of view - the river looks suspiciously like a snake, and is that mouldy old log over there a ferocious dog?  Frieda sees danger in every shadow, and you might too! After Frieda cries wolf one too many times, Gloria stops listening to her. But what's that in the bushes? Are the two little friends in danger, or is it another figment of Frieda's imagination?

Click here to see a page
from inside The Spooky Book!

written by Steve Patschke
illustrated by Matthew McElligott
Walker & Co.

Lightning cracks, thunder rumbles, the wind howls, and shadows creep, creep, creep up the wall in this most inventive spooky book. Just how spooky is it?  That's what readers are about to discover as they follow Andrew and Zo Zo, two children reading spooky books on a dark and stormy night.

What is Andrew's book about? A girl named Zo Zo, sitting alone in a house, reading a spooky book. What is Zo Zo's book about? A boy named Andrew sitting alone in a house... And how does the story end? With an unexpected and imaginative surprise that will leave readers begging for the story to be read again and again!

John Grandits

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Click here to see John at age 5

John Grandits is an award-winning book and magazine designer and the author of "Beatrice Black Bear," a monthly cartoon for Click magazine.

He lives in Red Bank, N.J., with his wife, Joanne, a children's librarian, and Gilbert, an evil cat. Technically, It's Not My Fault is his first book of poetry.

Written and illustrated by John Grandits

by John Grandits
Clarion Books, c2004

An eleven-year-old boy named Robert voices typical,and not so typical, middle-grade concerns in this unique, memorable collection of hilarious poems. His musings cover the usual stuff, like pizza, homework, thank-you notes, and his annoying older sister. In addition, he speculates about professional wrestling for animals, wonders why no one makes scratch-and-sniff fart stickers, designs the ultimate roller coaster (complete with poisonous spiders), and deconstructs the origins of a new word, snarpy. A playful layout and ingenious graphics extend the wry humor that is sure to resonate with readers of all ages.